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Professor Amy deGraff, Ph.D. |
Randolph-Macon College French Professor Amy deGraff, Ph.D., has been given the Outstanding Chapter Officer award by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF). The award, which recognizes excellence in leadership among its officers, was presented to deGraff on July 4, 2009 at the AATF annual convention in Jan Jose, California. Alice Cataldi, AATF regional representative for the Middle Atlantic States, presented deGraff with the award.
Founded in 1927, the AATF is is an organization made up of almost 10,000 college, university and high school teachers belonging to 74 chapters throughout the United States. Its work to support the teaching of French extends around the world and its scholarly journal,
The French Review, is highly respected and widely read.
“I join the Randolph-Macon College community in congratulating Professor deGraff on this prestigious award,” said R-MC President Robert R. Lindgren. “Dr. deGraff’s ongoing efforts to promote the language and culture of France have been duly recognized and I am thrilled that she has been honored by the American Association of Teachers of French.”
deGraff has served the AATF through her work with its Virginia Chapter, first on the executive council, then as vice-president and currently as co-president. She has continually sought to provide resources and support to teachers of French throughout the state, working collaboratively with the Foreign Language Association of Virginia, the Virginia State Department of Education and other colleges and universities.
On March 6, 2009 deGraff was presented with the prestigious
Palmes Académiques by the French government for her exceptional work in promoting French language and culture in the United States.
deGraff has also been instrumental in bringing French film directors to Randolph-Macon College, creating an environment in which students can learn about the vibrancy of French cinema. During the college’s 2009 January Term, deGraff invited French film director Françoise Marie to teach a documentary filmmaking course at R-MC. Marie was the first French film director deGraff brought to the college, in 2003, and the first to teach a January Term course. The film short,
Manon sur le Bitume, which was shown at Randolph-Macon in fall 2008 during director Olivier Pont’s visit to the college, was nominated for an Oscar. Randolph-Macon students were fortunate not only to see the film, but also to talk with Pont about films and filmmaking in France.
deGraff is currently spearheading the development of pedagogical tools to accompany a select number of film shorts that the AATF of Virginia will make available to high school and college teachers throughout the United States. She has also worked with the Virginia Center for the Humanities and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy to support and promote French language and culture.
deGraff joined the faculty at Randolph-Macon in 1978. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, her master’s degree from the University of Illinois, Champaign Urbana and her Ph.D. from The University of Virginia.