Joshua Inwood
Assistant Professor – Geology and Geography
College of Sciences and Mathematics

Joshua Inwood's teaching philosophy focuses on training students to think critically about the world in which they live. He strives to show his students the ways geography directly connects with their lives, with a focus on the way the organization of space affects and influences their lives and the lives of others. Inwood's research interests center on urban development, contested notions of identity, landscape studies, social justice, and the racialization of place. His research on Auburn Avenue recognizes the multiple, racialized identities that places carry, the significance of conflict within communities, and the power of memorials to remake urban landscapes. His research counters stereotypes of racial powerlessness and advances understanding of the construction of race and place. In addition, Inwood's work on Auburn Avenue focuses on the connection between political ideology, the construction of racialized identity, and the development of urban space.

Donald R. Wehrs
Professor – English
College of Liberal Arts

Author of three books on 20th-century African fiction and more than 25 refereed journal articles and book chapters, Wehrs specializes in comparative literature and post-colonial ethical and philosophical criticism and theory. The judges cited his international reputation, his commitment to globalization, his insightful analyses, and the consistent high level of his publications. These publications included many of the most prestigious journals in the field, such as Modern Language Studies, New Literary History, and The Comparatist. Nominated by the directors of Africana Studies and Women's Studies, he was praised for innovative work that opened new fields of research. Among these areas are bringing to widespread attention the cultural, religious, and gender diversity in African literature and especially explicating how Islam has shaped African Literature. For Wehrs, Auburn has always had truly splendid students and colleagues, an Honors College that has fostered the shared pursuit of excellence, and library resources and staff who have always supported thorough and sophisticated research.