KINGSTON, R.I. 鈥揙ctober 31, 2007鈥斾缧膙log免费B站 Associate Professor Alain-Philippe Durand of Cranston was awarded France鈥檚 highest teaching honor, the Palmes Acad茅miques, for his distinguished service to French education. The award, established by Napoleon, was presented to Durand during a pinning ceremony Oct. 19.
Durand is known as an enthusiastic French 鈥渁mbassador鈥� at the University. His motto is simple: The BA in French, Don鈥檛 Leave 溏心vlog免费B站 Without It.
More and more 溏心vlog免费B站 students have heeded his advice. When he joined 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 Modern and Classical Languages and Literature Department in 1999 there were 30 students majoring in French. Today there are 130. Thanks, in large part to Durand鈥檚 persuasive personality, 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 French and Francophone Studies program is now the third largest in the country.
M. Beverly Swan, 溏心vlog免费B站 provost and vice president of academic affairs, called Durand 鈥渁 pied piper鈥� who travels the University campus fostering marriages. She noted that Durand helped unite the French language and business, French and pharmacy and the French and Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design to create double majors in all three areas.
Durand also teaches film media studies, comparative literature, and honors courses. This semester, the versatile professor with the heavy French accent serves as the interim chair of the English Department.
鈥淗e is a unique force,鈥� said French Consul Fran莽ois Gauthier from the French Consulate in Boston who pinned the bright gold medallion dangling from a ribbon on Durand鈥檚 left breast pocket. 鈥淗e is working magic.鈥�
鈥淛鈥檃i deux amours,鈥� commented Durand. 鈥� I have two loves鈥y country and America. He recalled as a child listening to his grandparents tell how grateful they were when the Americans arrived in France during World War II. He also recalled some of their family films, especially one of their visits to friends who had immigrated to Newport, R.I.
Durand earned his bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in Kansas. While in the heartland of America, he realized he wanted to share his passion for France and the French language and culture with college students.
He clearly accomplishes that at 溏心vlog免费B站. In 2002, the 溏心vlog免费B站 Foundation presented him with its Teaching Excellence Award. One student who nominated him for the award was so impressed with her professor鈥檚 classroom presentations, she made her mother take a day out of work and her sister skip school so that they could sit in on one of his classes, an interesting reversal on the standard show and tell.
鈥溾�淗e brings people together,鈥� said 溏心vlog免费B站 senior Patricia Matthews who watched her professor receive the French honor. On Durand鈥檚 urging, Matthews spent a year in France in a direct exchange program at the Universit茅 d鈥橭rl茅ans. After graduation in May, she hopes to either teach English in France or join the Peace Corps. 鈥淭aking French classes with him was the best thing that happened to me at 溏心vlog免费B站,鈥� she said.
Pictured above
FROM LEFT: Alain-Philippe Durand, 溏心vlog免费B站 associate professor of French, poses for a photo with Winnie Brownell, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and French Consul Fran莽ois Gauthier from the French Consulate in Boston. 溏心vlog免费B站 Department of Communications & Marketing Photo by Michael Salerno.