Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Arts & Culture
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Arts & Culture

Recognitions Roll in for LLL Faculty

Thursday, January 29, 2015, By Sarah Scalese
Share
appointmentsCollege of Arts and Sciences

Success comes in droves for members of the College of Arts and Sciences. An unprecedented six professors in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics (LLL) have been elected to top positions at three of the world’s leading language organizations.

Professors Stephanie Fetta, Stefano Giannini, Maria Emma Ticio Quesada and Alicia Rios have been elected to executive committees at the Modern Language Association (MLA), which promotes the worldwide study and teaching of language and literature.

Fetta, assistant professor of Spanish, is a member of the MLA’s Division of Literatures of the United States in Languages Other Than English—a position she has held since last January. She also serves on the Women’s Indigenous Native Caucus of the national organization Mujeres activas en literatura y ciencias sociales.

Giannini, associate professor of Italian, is newly elected to the MLA’s Division on Twentieth-Century Italian Literature. His term begins this month.

Ticio Quesada, assistant professor of Spanish, is in her second year as a member of the MLA’s Comparative Romance Linguistics Discussion Group Executive Committee. She’s also serving as the committee’s secretary this year.

Rios, associate professor of Spanish, has been elected to the Division on Latin American Literature from Independence to 1900. She also serves on the executive committee of the Venezuelan Section of the International Latin American Studies Association (LASA).

Each professor serves a five-year term on his or her MLA committee.

“To have such strong faculty representation at the MLA and these other international organizations is a reflection of my colleagues’ character,” says Gail Bulman, associate professor and chair of LLL. “Their leadership and service are indicative of our department’s commitment to students, programs, the campus and the professional community. These professors are some of our best ambassadors.”

LLLfacultyMeanwhile, Tej Bhatia, professor of linguistics, is the new vice president and president-elect of the International Association of World Englishes (IAWE), which studies the forms and functions of different Englishes in diverse cultural and sociolinguistic settings.

The announcement came last month at IAWE’s 20th international conference in Delhi, India, where Bhatia also delivered the plenary address.

“I am extremely proud of Professor Bhatia,” Bulman adds. “He brings a deep understanding of the issues and constituencies that are central to IAWE. I can’t think of a higher honor in our field, nor a more deserving person.”

Along with fellow LLL professor William C. Ritchie, Bhatia has been named editor-in-chief of Brill Research Perspectives in Multilingualism and Second Language Acquisition (Brill, 2015). At Syracuse, Bhatia also serves as director of the South Asian Languages Program and as a faculty fellow in the Forensic and National Security Sciences Institute.
Jaklin Kornfilt, professor of linguistics and director of the Linguistic Studies Program as well as of the Computational Linguistics Program, has been invited to serve as an advisor to the Linguistic Society of America (LSA)’s Committee on Linguistic Institutes and Fellowships. She also is in her third year as a member of the Advisory to Programs Committee of LSA.

Kornfilt can trace her involvement with the society back to 1980, when she attended that year’s LSA Summer Institute as a prestigious Bloch Fellow. Since then, she has received numerous other honors and awards, including the 2010 Humboldt Research Award.

“Professor Kornfilt knows, first hand, the impact of these various institutes and fellowships,” Bulman says. “They bring together some of the field’s leading minds in pursuit of cutting-edge teaching and research. Her involvement bodes well for us and the LSA.”

Kornfilt also serves as director of the linguistic studies program as well as of the computational linguistics program. She is currently writing a recommendation for a highly talented graduate student to attend the upcoming 2015 Summer Linguistic Institute.

  • Author

Sarah Scalese

  • Recent
  • What’s New at Campus Dining in Fall 2025?
    Friday, August 29, 2025, By Jennifer DeMarchi
  • DPS Pilots License Plate Reader Technology to Enhance Campus Safety
    Friday, August 29, 2025, By Kiana Racha
  • IDJC Welcomes Fall 2025 Visiting Fellows Nathaniel Rakich and Miranda Spivack
    Friday, August 29, 2025, By Genaro Armas
  • Libraries Announces Fall 2025 Workshops
    Friday, August 29, 2025, By Cristina Hatem
  • Maxwell’s Baobao Zhang Awarded NSF CAREER Grant to Study Generative AI in the Workplace
    Friday, August 29, 2025, By Jessica Youngman

More In Arts & Culture

Point of Contact Marks 50 Years With Landmark Exhibition

To commemorate its 50th anniversary Punto de Contacto/Point of Contact, Inc. (POC) is presenting “50 Sin Cuenta,” a landmark exhibition of contemporary Latin American art drawn from its own permanent collection. An opening event will be held Friday, Sept. 19,…

La Casita ‘Corpórea’ Exhibition Explores Identity, Healing, Human Form

The themes of healing, identity and community through the lens of the human body are the focus of a new exhibition at La Casita Cultural Center. A free public event opens “Corpórea,” which translates to “of the body,” on Friday,…

Syracuse Stage Announces Auditions for 2025-26 Theatre for the Very Young Production ‘Tiny Martians, Big Emotions’

Syracuse Stage is seeking non-equity actors to audition for the Theatre for the Very Young production of “Tiny Martians, Big Emotions,” conceived and directed by Kate Laissle. The show is a touring educational program as part of the company’s 2025-26…

Art Museum Launches Fall 2025 Season With Dynamic, Interdisciplinary Exhibitions

The Syracuse University Art Museum kicks off its fall season on Aug. 26 with four new exhibitions that reflect the museum’s mission to foster diverse and inclusive perspectives and unite students across disciplines with the local and global community. From…

How Artists Are Embracing Artificial Intelligence to Create Works of Art

Artists have always embraced new technologies to push the boundaries of their creations—balancing imagination and authenticity with innovation. Artificial intelligence (AI) is no different, says Rebecca Xu, professor of computer art and animation in the Department of Film and Media…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.