Renée K. Nicholson
“I have been fortunate enough to be in the first cohort of Faculty Fellows, and then again a few years later, and seeing this program grow makes me feel proud of both experiences. In both cases, I had the opportunity to teach in a hands-on, experiential way, using outside partners and harnessing the creativity of the students...”
“Arthurdale, WV Matters” teaches students how to connect with historical
sites and the non-profit organizations and people who run them. Combining business
and marketing with public humanities, students will develop skills in promoting
and preserving sites of cultural and historical importance. Focusing on Arthurdale,
students in this team-taught course by Renée K. Nicholson, Anne Pancake, and
Michael Walsh will explore Arthurdale’s history from the New Deal to the present
day, examine problematic aspects of the site related to class and race, interact
with Arthurdale craftspeople, learn about issues facing Appalachia and rural
communities, and gain the tools to help sustain sites of significance. Students
will also reflect on heritage, traditions, and history and their relevance
to civic and cultural life today.
View Renee Nicholson's lecture recording at the link below.
View the Recording"I have been fortunate enough to be in the first cohort of Faculty Fellows, and then again a few years later, and seeing this program grow makes me feel proud of both experiences. In both cases, I had the opportunity to teach in a hands-on, experiential way, using outside partners and harnessing the creativity of the students. I made valuable connections with amazing colleagues in fields from across the university, and in many cases these relationships continued in various new and exciting contexts. The professional development opportunities also enrich my approaches in the classroom and broaden my thinking about what it means to be a professor. As my roles and responsibilities have grown and changed over the years, I've been able to continue to work in new contexts with the Honors College, which began with that first cohort, and which always brings me joy."
Renée Nicholson is a known and celebrated writer, educator, mentor and expert in narrative medicine. Since 2013, she has made significant contributions in teaching, service and research and has undertaken additional efforts in academic advising, fundraising, grant writing and cross-curricular integration.
Nicholson’s interdisciplinary project, “The Value of Expressive Storytelling/Writing on Quality of Life,” funded in part by a Humanities Center grant, was a collaboration with WVU School of Medicine to capture the experiences of HIV patients in Appalachia. This project, as well as similar work with cancer patients in Appalachia, earned her the 2018 Susan S. Landis Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts at the West Virginia Governor’s Arts Awards and the 2019 Eberly College of Arts and Sciences’ Outstanding Public Service Award. She also is the 2020 Winner of the Nicholas Evans Award for Excellence in Advising (WVU). Her books include two collections of poetry, Roundabout Directions to Lincoln Center and Post Script; a memoir-in-essays, Fierce and Delicate: Essays on Dance and Illness; and co-editor of the anthology Bodies of Truth: Personal Narratives on Illness, Disability, and Medicine.
In addition to her teaching and research, Nicholson has served as a board member for the Pittsburgh Youth Ballet, chair of the fundraising committee for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra series at WVU, a member of WVU’s Campus Read committee, and assistant director and director of the West Virginia Writers’ Workshop.
Nicholson received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from WVU and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English/Creating Writing from Butler University.