Posted on Wednesday, August 12, 2009 [9:27 PM]

COLUMBIA, Ky. -- Tip Shanklin has seen Lindsey Wilson College grow up a lot. Since arriving at Lindsey Wilson in 1998, Shanklin has seen the size of the college's faculty double, enrollment swell past 2,000 students and the A.P. White Campus to expand to cover more than 200 acres.
 

And now Shanklin is ready to serve his second term as coordinator of Lindsey Wilson's English program. He previously served as the program's coordinator from 2002-04.
 

Located within the college's humanities and fine arts division, LWC's English program allows students to concentrate in one of four areas: literature, journalism, writing and education. All English majors receive a broad-based education, which Shanklin said makes them particularly attractive to many prospective employers.
 

"A person with an English degree can do just about any kind of job because of the kind of skills they get with an English major -- writing skills, critical-thinking skills, cultural literacy," Shanklin said. "The skills our majors get are applicable across all kinds of employment fields.
 

"I suspect there are a lot of businesses who would prefer someone with an English degree rather than something focused because they are going to want to train that person for their business. If that person has multiple skills -- cultural literacy, writing, critical thinking, reading skills -- they are going to have a better chance at being successful in a job."
 

A native of Hopkinsville, Ky., Shanklin earned a bachelor's degree from Burlington (Vt.) College, a master's degree from College of Saint Rose (N.Y.) and a doctorate from Binghamton (N.Y.) University. At LWC, Shanklin is also an associate professor of English.
 

Shanklin's area of specialty is 19th & 20th century British literature, but he has also translated ancient Greek literature and poetry by 19th-century French author Victor Hugo.
 

Shanklin said he was attracted to Lindsey Wilson because of the college's strong sense of mission.
 

"What I like about being at Lindsey Wilson is the commitment that it takes to be here and the support we get from colleagues and the administration," he said.