Tuninetti named 2019 Singer Professor in the Humanities

Ángel Tuninetti is a passionate advocate for the importance of the humanities in higher education and society. 

He has been named the 2019 Armand E. and Mary W. Singer Professor in the Humanities, recognizing his dedication and commitment to the study of the Spanish language and Latin American literature and cultures in West Virginia University’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.

“The humanities have been central to my approach to teaching, research and service through my whole career. In a world in which soft skills are increasingly valued, an interdisciplinary approach to the humanities is the ideal tool to educate the global citizens that our era needs to overcome the serious crises in which we are immersed,” said Tuninetti, a professor of Spanish in the Department of World Languages, Literatures and Linguistics. “I hope this professorship will allow me to further the support for the humanities at WVU and the state of West Virginia.”

Tuninetti is currently serving as a Fulbright Specialist on international education at the Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Paraguay, where he’s researching the internationalization processes in Paraguayan universities. These include partnerships with other institutions across the world, teaching global competencies and conducting international research.

“I have a passion for discovering and exploring new ideas and topics,” Tuninetti said. “The professorship will allow me to continue working on ongoing projects and to develop new avenues of research, teaching and service to further my agenda of advocating for the central role of the humanities in our time.”

The Singer Professorship is named for Armand and Mary Singer, a team devoted to scholarship in the humanities. In 2000, Mary and Armand, together with their daughter and son-in-law, Fredericka Ann Singer Hill and Thomas Hill, responded to WVU’s Building Greatness Campaign by establishing the Armand E. and Mary W. Singer Professorship in the Humanities, which is intended to support faculty members in the  Department of World Languages, Literatures and Linguistics.  

“The Eberly College is pleased with the selection of Professor Tuninetti as the latest recipient of the Singer Professorship. He follows in a long line of outstanding scholars and educators,” said Gregory Dunaway, dean of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. “We are grateful to the Singer and Hall families for providing this important professorship that celebrates faculty excellence in the humanities.”

Tuninetti completed a licenciatura en letras modernas (similar to a bachelor’s degree) at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Spanish at Washington University in St. Louis. He teaches courses on Latin American literature and culture, including narratives of the 19th and 20th centuries and Gaucho literature and culture. His main research area is travel literature in South America, and he has published two books on the topic.  

“With his academic acumen coupled with his passion for real-world interdisciplinary teaching and research, Dr. Tuninetti is an ideal recipient of the Singer Professorship,” said Amy Thompson, chair of the Department of World Languages, Literatures and Linguistics. “After serving as our department chair for 11 years, I’m very pleased that he will continue his leadership at WVU via this honor.”

Tuninetti is appointed to the professorship for three years with an opportunity for renewal for another three years.

Previous Singer Professors include Teaching Professor of Russian Studies and Slavic and East European Studies Lisa Di Bartolomeo (2013-2019), Professor of French Janice Spleth (2006-2012) and retired Professor of Foreign Languages Kathleen McNerney (2000-2006).

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