Title: Assistant Professor of English, Department of English & Modern Languages, Anderson University (Indiana)
Tenured: No
Age: 32
Education: B.A., English Writing — DePauw University; MA, Ministry — Wesley Seminary, Indiana Wesleyan University; MFA, Creative Writing (Poetry) — Butler University
Career mentors: Prof. Mitchell L. H. Douglas, Indiana University - Indianapolis; Prof. Alessandra Lynch, Butler University; Dr. Joshua Bennett — Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Words of wisdom/advice for new faculty: “Teach your students to be human as you teach them everything else.”
Thomas Kneeland went to college with his mind set on becoming a physician. He ended up studying English and
Thomas Kneeland
“And it was at that moment I had a shift in the things that I care about,” recalls Kneeland. Despite the shift, Kneeland’s concern was still – much like a physician’s – on helping people heal.
“I wanted to be able to use writing, use poetry to touch people’s souls in a different way than a doctor would, going from the physical to the metaphysical,” Kneeland says. “Poetry can help shape the metaphysical world that we also live in, how we interpret that world around us and how it reflects on how we interact with each other on a more human level.”
Since becoming a poet, Kneeland has devoted his career to using literature to advocate for a more just society. He now holds a tenure-track position as a professor of English at Anderson University, a small private and Christian nonprofit institution in Anderson, Indiana.
“This impetus to use literature to advocate for social equality extends to his academic agenda,” observes Dr. Brandan Grayson, a professor of Spanish and chair of English and Modern Languages at Anderson University. “Alongside classroom lessons that often tackle this issue, Mr. Kneeland maintains an active schedule participating in panels and workshops that challenge others to consider social justice.”
