FERRUM, VA, June 26, 2024 – Dr. Daniel Murphy, Assistant Professor of English, has been appointed Director of Ferrum College’s Boone Honors Program (BHP). Murphy, who holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Notre Dame, has recently served as Director of Ferrum’s Writing Center and advisor to the student club called Undead Poets Society.
Murphy’s publications include “An American Futurism? Corporeal History in O’Neill’s The Hairy Ape (1922) and Santell’s Film Adaptation (1944),” an article in Eugene O’Neill Review (2018). His chapter for a forthcoming book on indigenous ecofiction, “Catastrophic Hunger at the Borderlands: Linda Hogan’s Solar Storms (1997) and Fernando Flores’s Tears of the Truffle Pig (2019),” is based on a conference paper Murphy presented in 2023. In his time at Ferrum, Murphy has also created two new courses, ENG 223: Film Adaptations and ENG 237: Horror Stories.
“I’m truly excited to be stepping into this post. I have very large shoes to fill, and I hope to build on the program and accentuate its well-earned distinction,” stated Murphy. “I want to ensure that the Boone Honors Program continues to provide students the time and space to work through complicated questions, from many vantages, in an encouraging and enjoyable environment.”
Murphy becomes the third BHP director since the program was developed in 2002 by Dr. David Howell, who served as the first program director until 2007. The program is named for Dr. Jerry Boone, Ferrum College president from 1987 to 2002. Dr. Lana Whited, who directed the BHP from 2007 to 2024, commented, “Dan Murphy’s commitment to students and his creativity make him a marvelous choice for this role.”
Currently the BHP has about 50 student members, who benefit from special opportunities for scholarships, travel abroad, research, and participation at conferences. Students take a number of interdisciplinary honors seminars, such as Reason and the Individual, Surrealism, Media and Violence, Political Satire, and Science and Art. They also complete enrichment projects in other courses.
“We are delighted that Dan Murphy has been named Director of Ferrum College’s Boone Honors Program,” said Ferrum College President Dr. Mirta Martin. “His leadership, vision, and dedication to academic excellence will undoubtedly continue to enhance the program and inspire our students to achieve their fullest potential so they may go out to transform the world.”
