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Professor Emerita Receives Intellectual Freedom Award

Dr. Gloria Flaherty Recognized on National Level for Promoting Civil Rights, Equal Access to Education and Anti-Censorship Wilmington College Professor Emerita Dr. Gloria Flaherty was selected to receive one of three 2018 Intellectual Freedom Awards presented by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). PICTURED: Gloria Flaherty reads from a book that was censored somewhere in the world at one of WC's Banned Books Read-Ins, which she supported through her own personal actions and by enticing participants with delicious home-baked goods. Flaherty served for 22 years on the education faculty before retiring in 2007. She returned on a part-time basis to teach literature through the 2017 academic year. The Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts nominated her for the national award. The nomination application cited Flaherty as working to ensure that intellectual freedom is awarded to all. “In her personal life, she serves as an example of how to treat people, how to listen to them, how to learn from them,” the nomination detailed. “In her professional life, she has worked to create, promote and support programs that build bridges between groups and ideas.” It also noted Flaherty’s “passion” for maintaining civil rights, battling censorship and granting access to education for all. “Her work resonates beyond the classrooms in which she taught; indeed, students of students are still feeling the impact of her influence.” Flaherty will have the opportunity to receive the honor at the 2018 NCTE Annual Convention in Houston this November.