Harriot College announces Whichard Distinguished Professor in the Humanities

Dr. Amy E. Wright of Saint Louis University will serve as the David Julian and Virginia Suther Whichard Distinguished Professor in the Humanities in East Carolina University’s Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences.

ECU and the broader community will benefit from Wright’s research and teaching expertise. Her most recent work examines Mexican and broader Hispanic cultural history through sound and serial storytelling — from corridos and radionovelas to telenovelas, comics, film/TV and podcasts. Wright has lived in Mexico and Spain for significant periods of time — moving back and forth between countries — drawing from her experiences to explain how narratives move across media and to explore how episodic stories shape identity, memory, nostalgia and belonging.

Dr. Amy E. Wright will serve as Harriot College’s David Julian and Virginia Suther Whichard Distinguished Professor in the Humanities. (Contributed photo)

“In collaboration with communities, I create archives and programs that connect scholarship with lived experiences,” Wright said. “I feel deeply honored and grateful. This distinguished professorship is both an affirmation of my work with Latin American/Spanish-speaking media and my passion to serve broader communities. I’m excited to join ECU to spotlight the value of languages, literatures and cultures — and to amplify the voices and artistic traditions of Spanish-speaking communities on campus and across the region.”

The professorship was established in the mid-1990s by the generosity of family members of the late David Julian Whichard, a 60-year editor and publisher of Greenville’s The Daily Reflector, and his wife, Virginia Suther Whichard, a former teacher and 1917 graduate of what was then East Carolina Teachers Training School. Individuals selected for the professorship are nationally recognized for their scholarly and creative achievements and productivity within the humanities.

At SLU, Wright is a professor of Hispanic studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. In addition, she serves as dean’s fellow for graduate education initiatives, after serving seven years as director of Spanish graduate studies. She will hold the Whichard professorship at ECU from January 2026 through May 2028 in Harriot College’s Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures in partnership with the Department of English.

“My conversations with Dean Danell last spring confirmed for me how strongly ECU values the humanities, both in the classroom and in the wider community,” Wright said.

Through the professorship, Wright said she will develop community-connected projects to promote public humanities; cultural identity and heritage; civic engagement and humanities advocacy; as well as oral history and storytelling.

The projects will include: 1) a student-run collective that records and shares the life stories of Spanish-speaking community members — in Spanish and English — so their experiences and heritage are heard across the Carolinas; 2) community outreach that shines a light on the power of bilingualism and multilingualism, through media spotlights, class collaborations, partnerships and public events that promote belonging and understanding; and 3) students teaming up with local organizations to research, write and produce bilingual radio dramas for campus radio, accompanied by a website and virtual exhibit that make the shows — and the stories behind them — easy to explore.

“I’m eager to reach out to on-campus and regional partners to propose co-creations, co-sponsorships and collaborations that connect scholarship with local voices. The support and encouragement so far from colleagues in English and foreign languages has been outstanding,” she said. “I’m looking forward to connections with the schools of communication and education at ECU and statewide humanities organizations as well.”

In addition to her research and creative projects, Wright will teach cross-listed, bilingual-friendly courses in the departments of English and foreign languages and literatures that connect scholarship to community practice, beginning with “Latina Voices in American Literature & Culture” (ENG 3240) in spring 2026. Her courses will include community-engaged components, such as oral history labs, media storytelling and partnerships with local organizations.

“Teaching and research are, for me, forms of listening and co-creation rooted in community. Research keeps me curious and collaborative; teaching keeps me connected to the larger whole,” Wright said. “I love watching students connect theory to lived experience — when a clip from a radionovela or a family story reframes a debate. Most of all, I value the moments when classroom learning becomes public work, like a student audio portrait of a local entrepreneur, a bilingual screening that brings families together or an oral history archive to uplift voices and stories that may otherwise go unheard.”

Wright earned her doctorate from Brown University in 2026 and her Bachelor of Arts degree as a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995. She taught for four years at NC State University.

“I am thrilled to return to North Carolina, where I grew up, and to give back to communities that I love,” she said. “In my home state, Spanish-speaking communities are an essential part of the social and cultural fabric. Roughly 10% of residents in Pitt and surrounding counties identify as Hispanic/Latino, with continued growth mirroring statewide trends — North Carolina reached approximately 11% by 2024. I am grateful to be back in this dynamic region and for this opportunity to work for, with and alongside this vibrant community where my roots run deep.”

Wright has received numerous honors and awards throughout her career, including teaching and mentoring awards from SLU and national fellowships. In 2022, she was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship. She is also a member of many professional organizations and associations in her field, including the Modern Language Association, the Latin American Studies Association, the University of California Association of Mexicanists, and the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.

For more information about Wright, visit her personal website and her SLU faculty webpage.

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