About the Author

I hold the Ph.D. in medieval history from the University of North Texas, the M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh, a B.MUS. in Piano Performance with highest distinction from The Pennsylvania State University, and the A.B. in Philosophy with honors and high distinction from Indiana University, Bloomington. Since 1997 I have been Director of Interdisciplinary Studies at Georgia College & State University and Associate Professor of History and Interdisciplinary Studies. Prior to my arrival at GC&SU, I was Coordinator of Interdisciplinary Studies and Assistant Professor of History and Philosophy at DeKalb College (now Georgia Perimeter College) in Atlanta, Georgia.

My various projects reflect my interdisciplinary interests. My research in medieval and Renaissance intellectual and cultural history has inspired me to spend considerable time abroad studying monastic ruins and medieval spirituality. I am the founding co-editor of Magistra: A Journal of Women's Spirituality in History and continue to serve on the Board of Editors; from 1992-1994 I also served as joint editor of Vox Benedictina: A Journal of Women's and Monastic Spirituality. I have given over thirty-five presentations at the annual meetings of The International Medieval Congress, The Sixteenth-Century Studies Conference, The Central Renaissance Association, The Texas Medieval Association, The Southeastern Medieval Association, and other organizations.

I am strongly committed to the scholarship of teaching and learning, and was named a Carnegie Scholar in 1999. I have devoted considerable time to the development and creative use of electronic resources for the classroom. My web site for HIST 4950 Medieval Monasticism includes several virtual tours of monastic ruins with commentaries not available elsewhere on the Internet. My World Civilization Virtual Library includes several virtual tours of ancient and medieval centers of civilization, interactive modules in I wrote in Authorware on ancient and medieval culture, and numerous other resources. I have received grants from the University System of Georgia to develop web sites for the two courses I studied during my tenure as a Carnegie Scholar, IDST 2310 Fine and Applied Arts in Civilization and IDST 2205 Global Issues in Society. In addition, I served on the development team for the University System of Georgia's U.S. HIST eCore online course, which was recognized as an Exemplar course at the International WEBCT 2001 conference. From 1997-1998 I also served as Internet review editor of The History Computer Review. I have won numerous awards for my teaching, including the University System of Georgia Board of Regents' Distinguished Professor of Teaching and Learning award (1996-1997) and two Excellence in Teaching Awards from the National Institute of Staff and Organizational Development. Most recently I was awarded the University System of Georgia Board of Regents' Award for Research in Undergraduate Education (2001).

I have published several refereed articles in journals, including The American Benedictine Review, The Modern Schoolman, Mystics Quarterly, Word and Spirit, Teaching History, The History Teacher, and Proteus: A Journal of Ideas. If you would like to learn more about me, you may consult my online vita.

For further information on my project on interdisciplinary learning, please contact me via e-mail at dvess@mail.gcsu.edu or via snail mail at:

CBX 048
GC&SU
Milledgeville, GA 31061
912-445-4441

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