Visiting Professors Bring New Insights to Arts & Sciences

Each year, the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences hosts two visiting professors to teach and mentor students. This year, the program welcomes Jonathan Lethem and John Yau.

The McIlroy Family Visiting Professors Endowment Program entered its 13th year at the UofA and welcomed two renowned teachers to enhance and strengthen the northwest Arkansas artistic and cultural community.

For the 2019 fall semester, John Yau and Jonathan Lethem are the participating professors.

Each year Fulbright College recruits and selects the visiting professors from faculty nominations, said Andra Parrish Liwag, director of communications for Fulbright College. 

The son of Chinese emigrants, Yau is a Brooklyn College graduate and acclaimed poet. He is known for his first poetry publication, Crossing Canal Street, as well as for his art criticism. Yau is accomplished in his field, acquiring multiple awards including the Lavan Award from the Academy of American Poets, and a New York Foundation for the Arts Award. Yau resides in New York City, and teaches at Rutgers University.

Jonathan Lethem is known for more than a dozen novels featuring the western, science fiction and graphic genres. Lethem served as both the second Roy E. Disney Chair in Creative Writing at Pomona College and a guest director at the 45th annual Telluride Film Festival. His work can be found in The Paris Review, The New York Times and Harper’s, according to University Relations.

Participation in the program consists of serving as a professor for a semester, resulting ultimately in a performance or multiple performances, and an exhibition or master class. The participant also will serve as a mentor and adviser, Liwag said.

Founded in 2006, the McIlroy Family Visiting Professor endowment was created through the generosity of Hayden and Mary Joe McIlroy and the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation. The original commitment of $1 million was matched and created a total investment of $2 million.

“These artists-in-residence offer important opportunities for our students and the surrounding community to learn from and interact with some of the best visual and performing artists working in the field,” Liwag said.

Fulbright is the largest UA college, encompassing 16 departments and 43 academic programs and research centers, and the McIlroy Family Visiting Professors endowment program is available to students in fields of study pertaining to the arts and sciences, Liwag said.