USC Sumter Professor Fenimore Awarded Fellowship

Sumter, SC (08/16/2019) — The University of South Carolina Sumter is pleased to announce that Dr. Wanda Little Fenimore was recently awarded a fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies. This award is the Mellon/ACLS Community College Faculty Fellowship and supports the research ambitions of humanities and social science faculty. These fellowships are made possible by the generous support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

The award carries a stipend that will support Dr. Fenimore's research on a book entitled "Elizabeth and Waties Waring: Paving the Rhetorical Road to Brown v. Board of Education". The book examines the rhetorical battle that paved the way for change in the landmark Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education. As a rhetorical biography, it offers an account of resistance to white supremacy as seen through the lives and words of Elizabeth and Waties Waring. The Warings delivered a series of speeches from 1949 to 1951 designed to shift public opinion so that the federal government would intervene in the South and end school segregation. The Warings' goal was to influence the outcome of Briggs v. Elliott, the school segregation case that originated in Clarendon County, South Carolina.

"Dr. Fenimore's reputation for excellence in teaching, publishing and speaking have been further justified by being named an ACLS Fellow," said Michael Sonntag, Dean of USC Sumter. "We are extremely proud of her accomplishments. She truly exemplifies the quality faculty that we provide our students at USC Sumter."

Originally from Virginia, Dr. Fenimore received her doctorate from Florida State University in 2013. Before coming to USC Sumter in 2015 as an Assistant Professor of Speech Communication, Dr. Fenimore taught at Hampden-Sydney College and served as the Associate Director of the Ferguson Center for Public Speaking. Among her other accolades are several publications, professional conference presentations and awards including the top rhetoric paper award at the Southern States Communication Association's annual convention in 2019. In her spare time, Dr. Fenimore enjoys day trips to the coast with her granddaughter.

The University of South Carolina Sumter offers students a unique college experience, affordable tuition, as well as campus clubs and athletic opportunities. Our faculty provides a solid academic foundation for all students, who prove their success at the next level every year. For more information about the University of South Carolina Sumter or to apply, visit uscsumter.edu or call 803-775-8727.

Media Attachments

Dr. Wanda Little Fenimore, University of South Carolina Sumter, Assistant Professor of Speech Communication