Wanda Blanchett has been named a University Professor. The designation is granted to senior faculty members who have made exceptional contributions in academic or administrative services.
Since 2014, Dr. Blanchett has served as a distinguished professor in the university’s department of learning and teaching. Throughout her tenure at Rutgers, Dr. Blanchett has held several leadership roles, including dean of the Rutgers Graduate School of Education, special advisor to the chancellor for academic affairs and equity, and interim provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at the flagship campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey. As an interdisciplinary scholar, she focuses on race and equity in education, special education, and urban teacher preparation.
Dr. Blanchett received her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Central Arkansas. She holds a Ph.D. in special education from Pennsylvania State University.
John Keene has been named a Board of Governors Professor of English. The distinction is the highest faculty rank at Rutgers and is presented to individuals whose academic accomplishments have been recognized nationally and globally as exceptionally outstanding.
At Rutgers University-Newark, Professor Keene has previously served as chair of the department of Africana studies and interim director of the master of fine arts degree program in creative writing. As an educator, he teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses on creative writing, African and Caribbean literature, and African American studies. He has published numerous works of fiction and poetry, most recently Punks: New & Selected Poems (The Song Cave, 2021).
A graduate of Harvard University, Professor Keene received his master of fine arts degree from New York University.
