Recent Posts

IUP Dessy-Roffman Myth Collaborative Looking for Logo Design

The Dessy-Roffman Myth Collaborative at Indiana University of Pennsylvania is looking for a new logo and is inviting submissions from students and community members. Design submissions for the logo contest are due by 5:00 p.m. on November 25. The winning designer will receive $100.

Branscum and Yu Featured in “Black & Grey” Mag’s Simulation Issue

Professor John Yu Branscum and former instructor Yi Izzy Yu served as literary editors and contributors to the fall 2026 simulation issue of “Black & Grey,” an international magazine exploring themes such as AI, virtual realities, and simulation theory through literature, photography, and cultural commentary.

Liu Gives Invited Presentation and Training on AI in Chinese Language Education

Shijuan Liu presented and provided training as an expert trainer at the Second Advanced Summer School in International Chinese Language Teaching, held in conjunction with the Ninth Conference on Chinese Teaching in Scotland, at the University of Edinburgh, June 16–19, 2026.

IUP Dessy-Roffman Myth Collaborative Offering Fall Lecture Series

The Dessy-Roffman Myth Collaborative at Indiana University of Pennsylvania will offer a fall lecture series starting September 11. The programs are free and open to the community.

Vetter Awarded Wikimedia Foundation Grant

Matthew Vetter (Department of Language, Literature, and Writing) has been awarded a grant from the Wikimedia Foundation (the nonprofit behind Wikipedia) to expand to strengthen global Wikimedia communities and facilitate collaboration in external grant-making.

Huhn Coauthors National Study on Language Teaching Trends

Professor Christina Huhn is a coauthor of a new peer‑reviewed research article in the NECTFL Review that sheds light on current trends, challenges, and instructional practices in post‑secondary world language classrooms across the United States.

Thompson Named Director of IUP Cook Honors College

Todd Thompson, a long-time member of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania faculty, has been selected to serve as director of the IUP Cook Honors College.

Sigma Delta Pi, National Hispanic Honor Society, Celebrates 53rd Initiation Ceremony

IUP's Iota Mu chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Hispanic Honor Society, celebrated its fifty-third initiation ceremony on Friday, May 1, 2026.

IUP Celebrates 50 Years of Excellence in Language Teaching at Spring Methodology Conference

IUP’s Department of Language, Literature, and Writing proudly marked a milestone moment with the fiftieth annual IUP Spring Methodology Conference on Foreign Language Teaching, held on Friday, April 24, 2026, in the Hadley Union Building.

Appalachian Professional Language Educators’ Society (APPLES) Hosts Annual Language Festival

On Saturday, March 21, 2026, the Appalachian Professional Language Educators’ Society (APPLES) hosted its annual Foreign Language Festival on the IUP campus. Approximately 130 foreign language students from local area high schools participated.

IUP Offering One-Day Immersive Workshop Passport to France

On April 17, the Allenwood at IUP, located on the ground floor of Ackerman Hall, will host Passport to France, a one-day immersive travel-readiness workshop, a practical, hands-on session focused on essential travel preparation, including documents, money, transportation, health, culture, and emergency planning. Registration closes April 10.

Smith-Sherwood and Witthöft Present on UNIV 101 First Learning Year

Smith-Sherwood and Witthöft present on UNIV 101 First Learning Year at the 57th Northeast Modern Language Association Convention in Pittsburgh.

IUP Prof. Sell Receives $255k Grant for Two-Year Study on Decision Education and Videogame Design in High-School English Language Arts Classes

IUP faculty member Mike Sell has received a two-year $255,000 grant from the Alliance for Decision Education to develop and assess an innovative English Language Arts curriculum to improve the decision-making skills of high-school students. Sell will be working with students and teachers at Franklin Regional Senior High School in Murrysville.

Passport to France

Ever wished you could “test drive” a country before booking the flight? This one-day immersive workshop lets you experience France before you go—from language and culture to food and everyday travel situations.

IUP Student Selected for Appalachian College Association Faculty Fellowship

Natalie Holt, a student in Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Composition and Applied Linguistics doctoral program, has been selected for a faculty fellowship through the Appalachian College Association.

IUP Dessy-Roffman Myth Collaborative to Offer Spring Series

Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Dessy-Roffman Myth Collaborative will offer a spring lecture series starting February 18, all free and open to the community.

IUP Career and Professional Development Center Recognizes Outstanding Faculty and Organizational Partners With Hall of Fame Awards

Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Career and Professional Development Center has announced its fall 2025 Outstanding Organizational Partners, who join the CPDC’s Partner Hall of Fame.

Vetter Awarded Research Grant from Wikimedia Foundation 

Matthew Vetter (Department of Language, Literature, and Writing) has been awarded a research grant from the Wikimedia Foundation (the nonprofit behind Wikipedia) as part of an international team of scholars and free knowledge advocates.

Thompson Publishes Article on US Expansionism and Humor of the Gilded Age

Todd Thompson (Language, Literature, and Writing) recently published a new article, “Mr. Seward’s Real Estate Transactions’: Comic Imperialism in the Reconstruction Era,” in a special issue of Studies in American Humor.

Branscum and Yu Release New Book

Associate Professor of English John Yu Branscum and former instructor Yi Izzy Yu are releasing their new book, "Stars That Pause: 2,000 Years of Asian UFO Encounters & Lore," on October 15.

IUP Dessy-Roffman Myth Collaborative, IUP Literature and Criticism Program, Offering Fall Semester German Lecture Series

The Dessy-Roffman Myth Collaborative at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, in collaboration with IUP's Literature and Criticism Program, will offer the inaugural fall semester German Lecture Series starting on September 17.

CAL Doctoral Student Ionescu Publishes Case Study on Rhizomatic Learning of Peer Embedded Tutors for Composition Classes

Composition and Applied Linguistics doctoral student Iwona Ionescu published an article in Praxis 22.3 (2025), titled “Mapping it Out: Rhizomatic Learning of Peer Embedded Tutors for Composition Classes—A Case Study,” exploring how embedded tutors for first-year composition classes develop their expertise outside the formal training sessions.

Spanish Students Earn Global Seal of Biliteracy

Jada Chvilicek, Mason Cymbor, and Veronica Duran-Paramo (Spanish Education  Certification, ‘25) have been awarded the Global Seal of Biliteracy in English and Spanish.

Annual Foreign Language Teaching Conference, Presented by Department of Language, Literature and Writing

The Department of Language, Literature and Writing held the annual IUP Spring Methodology Conference on Foreign Language Teaching on Friday, April 25, 2025. 

Appalachian Professional Language Educators’ Society Hosts Annual Festival

On Saturday, March 29, 2025, the Appalachian Professional Language Educators’ Society (APPLES) hosted its annual Foreign Language Festival on the IUP campus. Approximately 160 foreign language students from local area high schools participated.