Cook Honors College Staff and Affiliate Faculty

“Free to question, our students develop the habit of mind to recognize and define problems, identify arguments on all sides of an issue, and use relevant data to arrive at a carefully reasoned judgment when analyzing problems. No assumption is left unquestioned, no bias unexplored. The question ‘What, therefore, should I do?’ ensures that thinking is not merely an end unto itself, but the basis for a philosophy of engagement with others. As a former high school English teacher, I would steal everything done here if I ever returned to the classroom. If college is more than just job training to you, this is the place to be educated.”

“Hello! My name is Crystal Pfeiffer, and I am pleased to welcome you to Cooks Honors College. As the front office contact, I have the privilege of supporting students, families, faculty, and visitors while helping create a welcoming and engaging environment. Whether you are learning about our community for the first time, seeking assistance, or navigating your academic journey, I am here to answer questions, connect you with the right resources, and help make your experience at Cooks Honors College both meaningful and rewarding.”

“I am your go-to person. My goal is to support you so you can succeed at IUP. I also work with your academic advisor to make sure your academic needs are met. I will send out emails with important resources, dates, deadlines, and reminders to keep you on track toward graduation. If you’re unsure of an answer. Who to contact, etc., feel free to reach out, and I can help you. No matter how silly or simple a question may be, if you’re unsure, reach out!”

IUP Navigators

“Hello, my name is Rachel Adamson. I am a graduate student here at IUP, as well as a recent graduate of the Cook Honors College. As a graduate assistant, I am here to help and support students in the CHC. I work with students who may need assistance maintaining the required GPA so that every student in the program has the opportunity to succeed and thrive during their time in our program. I also oversee the social committee, planning and organizing events for honors students to keep our community thriving. I am here to answer questions and provide support for all of our students!”

Kristin Mlay-Kuhns, MA

Kristin Mlay-Kuhns is a doctoral candidate in Literature and Criticism and a temporary faculty member in the Department of Language, Literature, and Writing at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She also serves as associate director of IUP’s Dessy Roffman Myth Collaborative. At Seton Hill University, she teaches German Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies, and First-Year Writing.

An interdisciplinary teacher and scholar, Mlay-Kuhns’s research focuses on mythology, feminist theory, translation, cultural memory, and popular culture, with particular emphasis on the evolving cultural mythology of Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary (“Sisi”). Her work also explores fairy tales and adaptation, celebrity and fan cultures, and the ways historical and contemporary cultural figures are constructed and reimagined over time. She is the author of The Origin and Development of Empress Elisabeth’s Legend (2023), and her recent scholarship brings the cultural mythology surrounding Elisabeth into conversation with contemporary figures such as Taylor Swift.

Mlay-Kuhns brings more than 20 years of teaching experience to her university classrooms, including extensive experience at the middle and high school levels before moving into higher education. She is especially drawn to interdisciplinary teaching and, in the Cook Honors College, enjoys approaching the Core’s larger unit questions through popular culture and contemporary cultural phenomena. Her teaching often uses popular culture as an entry point for reinvigorating canonical texts and ideas that can initially seem distant or antiquated, inviting students to discover connections among literature, mythology, philosophy, history, and the cultural world they inhabit.

Mlay-Kuhns holds a BA in German language and cultural studies from Smith College and a master of arts in teaching (MAT) in education from the University of Pittsburgh.

Areas of Interest: Myth and adaptation; feminist theory; translation studies; German literature and culture; cultural memory; fairy-tale studies; popular culture; celebrity and fan studies