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On May 13, 2011, Michael Arnzen, Ph.D., professor, English, and chair of the Division of Humanities, was recognized as the Professor of the Year at ��������Ƶ University’s Spring Honors Convocation.

“Dr. Arnzen is a Renaissance man-a great teacher, scholar, fiction writer and administrator. What is more impressive, Dr. Arnzen balances his energy between tasks and stays equally passionate about them all,” said Mary Ann Gawelek, Ed.D., provost and dean of faculty. “He brings to his courses a creativity of design that invites students to be fully engaged in their learning.”

“I thank all of you for this significant award and I will gladly accept it, but only on behalf of all the faculty,” said Arnzen. “For each and every one of us is a ‘Professor of the Year’ to someone in our own special way.”

Arnzen provided the Class of 2011 with an inspiring message and said, “Fear is always the cause of closed-mindedness. You can’t let fear immobilize you. You combat it with reason, ingenuity, education and humor.”

Arnzen, who joined the ��������Ƶ faculty in 1999, is well known at ��������Ƶ for his classroom demeanor and his encouragement of students.

In addition to instructing undergraduate students, Arnzen, whose academic areas of interest include creative writing, scholarship of teaching, horror fiction and film, speculative poetry, literary theory, new media and film history, supports and mentors graduate students enrolled in the Writing Popular Fiction Program. Arnzen also serves as the chair of the Division of Humanities.

Arnzen is the winner of four Bram Stoker awards for his achievements in horror writing. He has published 10 literary works. Arnzen's most recent publication, “Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction,” was published in early 2011.

Arnzen, a veteran of the United States Army, completed his undergraduate work at Colorado State University and obtained his Master of Arts degree in English from the University of Idaho. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in English from the University of Oregon.