Two alumnae of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, both of whom received their degrees in 1992, have recently been named as recipient of significant honors by the Swedish and German nations.
Elisabeth Wåghäll Nivre, a 1992 alumna of the PhD program and professor of German at Stockholm University, has been elected to The Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities. The Academy's duties are to promote research and other activities in the humanities, theology, law, and social sciences disciplines, as well as stewardship of cultural milieus. You may read the announcement about her election here.
Gisela Holfter, a 1992 alumna of our MA program and senior lecturer in German and co-director of the Centre for Irish German Studies at the University of Limerick, is scheduled to receive the Bundesverdienstkreuz, or the German Order of Merit, in 2021. This is awarded to domestic and foreign citizens for political, economic, and spiritual achievements, as well as for all special services to Germany. It is the only general merit award in the country, and thus is the highest recognition that Germany expresses for services to the common good.
Congratulations to both of them!
