University Research Professors

University Research Professors have acquired a designation above the rank of professor. The title is the most prestigious award the university gives for research, and goes to faculty who have demonstrated a consistently high level of scholarship and whose research is of truly international stature. The designation carries with it a $4,000 research grant and a reduced teaching schedule.

Dr. Sandra Clarke

Dr. Sandra Clarke, Linguistics

Dr. Sandra Clarke is, naturally, extremely proud to be designated University Research Professor. But her appreciation extends beyond simply receiving the honour for herself.

“I'm the second woman and I believe just the second (native-born) Newfoundlander to become University Research Professor,” she said. Both groups, and the university as a whole, can consider themselves well-represented.

Dr. Clarke is a sociolinguist, studying the social patterns of language. In 1982 she wrote a grammar on Innu-aimun, but is best known in her field today for her studies of Canadian (and particularly Newfoundland) English.

In 1993 she edited Focus on Canada, described by her colleagues as “a welcome addition to the literature on a surprisingly underdescribed variety of English.”

In more recent years she has been examining Newfoundland English; her current work in progress is a book about St. John's English, identifying word uses that differ among social classes in the capital city.

She maintains an interest as well in a broader social area, that of gender differences in language use, regularly teaching Language, Sex and Gender, a third-year linguistics course, described in the calendar as “A survey of language and gender issues, including the representation of males and females in English and other languages; stereotypes associated with male and female speech; and sex differences in language production.”

Four of 11 names listed on the Department of Linguistics' home page are designated University Research Professor. Asked about this, Dr. Clarke was enthusiastic about her colleagues.

“It's an outstanding department,“ she said. “There's a lot of important — and varied — work going on here.”

Memorial is one of only a few Canadian universities to a grant bachelor degree in linguistics, and also attracts top graduate students from across the country and abroad.

In addition to the scholarly work for which she is being recognized, Dr. Clarke has been active in professional organizations. She has served as president of the Canadian Linguistics Association, and its Atlantic counterpart. She is also a former head of the Linguistics Department.

Dr. Richard Haedrich, Biology

Dr. Richard Haedrich wasn't around to celebrate receiving his University Research Professor designation with the other honoured faculty.

He's on sabbatical at Middlesbury College in Vermont. But when contacted by the Gazette, Dr. Haedrich was quick to credit his colleagues for the award. [See full story in Research]