Kevin Rabas, 2018 Roe R. Cross Distinguished professor and chair of the English, modern languages and journalism department, speaks at an open mic event on Friday in William Allen White Library. “I see the impact that he’s having on students… and I just knew he was a great candidate,” said Amy Sage Webb, professor of English and one of the professors to nominate Rabas.
Kevin Rabas, chair of the English, modern languages and journalism department, was announced as the 2018 Roe R. Cross Distinguished professor last Friday.
The Cross award recognizes those who demonstrate scholarly and creative accomplishment, excellence in teaching, foster an intellectual atmosphere and are student mentors, along with many other qualities, according to emporia.edu.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized in this way, it’s kind of a humbling experience after all the work we do to excel in our field, to be recognized in this way by the highest that the university can give a faculty member,” Rabas said. “I love observing the world and writing about it, I love teaching and inspiring my students, I love serving in the ways, like faculty president, and so to be recognized for those many bits of work is a great honor.”
In addition to his role as a professor, Rabas is also a poet, playwright and author. He is currently the Poet Laureate of Kansas.
“All of this press for somebody who is a poet and writer gives necessary attention to the arts and humanities and so I feel good about that too,” Rabas said. “It’s not every day that we hear about the poets of our region so I feel thankful for that.”
Rabas has many accomplishments in his record, but being named Poet Laureate helped Amy Sage Webb, professor of English, along with Mel Storm, professor of English, decide to nominate him for the award.
“He certainly merits the Roe Cross distinction and I think he merited it before last year, but of course then he was named Poet Laureate of Kansas and there’s just so much in his record that represents the kind of distinction of that award,” Webb said. “Not just in his scholarly and creative accomplishments but I know what kind of teacher he is, I see the impact that he’s having on students, I know that the wide range of service that he does, so I have a really good window on his accomplishments and I just knew he was a great candidate.
Rabas found out that he was receiving the award during his Intro to Creative Writing class, while they were working on short plays.
“We were working on ten minute plays that day, so it was an especially dramatic day,” Rabas said.
Those who are named the Roe R. Cross Distinguished professor are given a medal, as well as $1000 to be used for professional development.
“They give you a medal and my students made me wear the medal for the rest of the class period, and that was a hoot,” Rabas said.
Rabas intends to use the money to attend a conference or to purchase PA equipment for speaking engagements.
“To me, it’s just a great gift when people recognize your hard work,” Rabas said. “I appreciate that and I hope this happens for each person in their own life.”