Simon Lewis, professor of English, will assume the role of faculty director for the College of Charleston’s Race, Equity and Inclusion (REI) initiative on July 1, 2022. Reporting to the director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), Lewis will be responsible for generating and delivering professional development resources to all faculty who wish to incorporate REI content into their courses.
As REI faculty director, Lewis will lead an annual cohort of faculty fellows to help in the design or redesign of courses in order to qualify for either a U.S. or global REI designation. He will also coordinate workshops throughout the year and support faculty to maximize REI content. In addition, Lewis will chair the REI Oversight Committee, provide regular updates to the Faculty Senate and collaborate with the General Education Committee, which vets the REI courses.
Since joining the College in 1996, Lewis has been the English department’s world literature specialist, teaching classes in African and postcolonial literature. In addition, he has held a variety of administrative positions, including director of African Studies, interim director of African American Studies and associate dean in the School of Languages, Cultures, and World Affairs.
Through a more than 20-year association with the Carolina Lowcountry and Atlantic World (CLAW) program, Lewis has promoted scholarship and public discussion of the history and culture of the Lowcountry region and its connections to the Atlantic World. He has published widely on East and South African literature and is editor of Illuminations: An International Magazine of Contemporary Writing, which has published poets from all over the world, from Argentina to Zimbabwe.
