Stephen F. Austin State University

Dr. Ann Doyle-Anderson has been named chair of the Department of Modern Languages at Stephen F. Austin State University. The distinction of department chair, however, is not a new one for Doyle-Anderson. She has been a faculty member at SFA since 1980 and, during that time, served as chair of the department from 1992 until 1998 and as interim chair since 2003.

"Dr. Doyle-Anderson has the experience and leadership skills to challenge the entire campus to more involvement in language acquisition and cultural exchanges," said Dr. James Standley, dean of the College of Applied Arts and Sciences. "We are pleased that she has accepted the position, and I know there are exciting days ahead for language studies at SFA."

Students in the modern languages department develop competence in speaking, reading and writing a foreign language and cultivate an appreciation for the culture and civilization of the people whose language is being studied.

"The department's programs include courses in language, culture and film, and students receive guidance in preparation for the various opportunities in language work," Doyle-Anderson said.

One course, "Spanish for the Professions," gives students the opportunity to apply their language skills to their intended profession and offers hands-on experience in community-service projects.

"In the past five years, our enrollment has increased 25 percent, and we've doubled the number of students majoring in language," Doyle-Anderson said. "That increase tells us both that more and more students are seeing the value of proficiency in a foreign language and that students find the department's programs are meeting their needs."

Doyle-Anderson attributes the department's success to an extremely dynamic faculty with a wide range of interests and a genuine commitment to students, which allows the department versatility in course offerings.

"We have an extremely successful study-abroad program for students of Spanish with summer programs in Spain and Costa Rica," she said. "More and more of our students in French are also studying abroad. We hope to add courses in German beginning in fall 2006, and this semester we are offering a course in beginning Italian."

Doyle-Anderson, who speaks Spanish, French and Italian, earned doctoral and master's degrees in comparative literature from Indiana University at Bloomington. Her bachelor's degree in Spanish and English is from Austin College.

The author of numerous articles and papers, Doyle-Anderson's book "Gregorio Comanini's 'Il Figino': Art Theory in the Late Renaissance" was published in 2001. She is a member of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, the American Association of Teachers of Italian and the National Association of Scholars.