At commencement ceremonies last week, Norwich University officials named History Professor Reina Pennington a Charles A. Dana Professor of History, a prestigious award accompanied by an annual stipend of $10,000.
Pennington, who has taught at Norwich since 1999, was chosen by a selection committee of current Dana professors.
“Her scholarly record is exceptional within the Norwich community,” said David Westerman, Charles A. Dana Professor of Geology and associate vice president for research.
The Dana program is aimed primarily at the development of an outstanding full-time faculty through the recruitment and retention of professors with recognized scholarly attributes and a high level of teaching competence. Tenured full professors from all academic disciplines are eligible.
Pennington, a former Air Force intelligence officer, holds a PhD in history with concentrations in European, Military and Russian history from the University of South Carolina. She has written two books with two more in the works, and published peer-reviewed articles and book reviews.
At Norwich, she is responsible for half of military history courses and all courses in modern European history, as well as seminars, independent studies and honors projects.
“I am truly honored to have been named a Charles A. Dana Professor,” said Pennington. “I consider myself extremely lucky to be at Norwich where I can teach at a military college (near and dear to my heart, as a veteran), in a location that I love and in an incredibly collegial department.”
In 1974, the Charles A. Dana Foundation, a philanthropic foundation that funds research nationwide, presented Norwich University with an endowment designed to supplement salaries of full-time senior faculty members. Since the first nominations in 1975, Norwich has named 21 Charles A. Dana Professors.
