WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Oct. 1, 2016 — West Liberty University Associate Professor of English Dr. Angela Rehbein was named Outstanding Young Alumna, Class of 2002 and 2003 at Fairmont State University today.
“I congratulate Angela for this distinguished award from her alma mater. She is very deserving of this honor and we are proud of her,” said Dr. Stephen Greiner, WLU president.
She received her award during Homecoming 2016 festivities on Saturday, Oct. 1.
Born in 1979 in Beckley to Ed and Phyllis Rehbein, Rehbein graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1997 and began attending Fairmont State in the fall of that year as a K-12 Art Education major, adding a second major in English several years later. While at Fairmont State, Rehbein served as managing editor of Whetstone, the student-run art and literary journal.
She also played the trumpet in the Fairmont State and Community Symphony Orchestra and the student brass quintet, performed in a number of theatrical productions and was a state finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship.
After graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 2002 and a Bachelor of Arts in Education in 2003, she went on to earn a Master of Arts in English from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond in 2005. She earned her Ph.D. in English from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2011, where she was the recipient of the Mary Jo Purcell Fellowship in 18th-Century Studies.
Upon completion of her doctoral studies, Rehbein accepted a position as assistant professor of English in the Department of Humanities at West Liberty University.
Since beginning her career at WLU, Rehbein has been the recipient of several nationally competitive research fellowships: from the National Humanities Center in 2012 and the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2013.
Her research focuses on British women writers of the Romantic period (ca. 1780-1830), particularly those who are lesser known to modern readers despite success in their own time. She has published articles in peer-reviewed journals such as 18th-Century Fiction and Women’s Writing, and has co-edited a special issue of Women’s Writing focused on “Reassessing British Women Writers of the Romantic Period.”
Recently, she was promoted to associate professor of English and nominated by her peers for the University’s Excellence in Professional Activity Award. She is currently co-editing a collection of essays for Liverpool University Press on the theme of women’s literary networks of the Romantic period.
In 2010, while living in Missouri as a graduate student, she began playing women’s flat track roller derby. She continues to play the sport and is currently co-captain of the Ohio Valley Roller Girls, a non-profit women’s athletic organization. OVRG routinely raises money for charitable organizations in the Ohio Valley while also promoting health and wellness in the community. In addition to playing roller derby, Rehbein is an avid runner who has completed numerous half marathons and two full marathons.
In August 2013 she married Ryan McCullough, WLU assistant professor of communication. They reside in Wheeling with their three cats: Dusty, Sidney Pawsby and Lucky.
The Department of Humanities at WLU is housed in the College of Liberal Arts. For complete information, please call 1.866.WESTLIB or visit westliberty.edu.