Bernice Hausman, the former Edward S. Diggs Professor in the Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the title of Edward S. Diggs Professor Emerita in the Humanities by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

The emerita title may be conferred on retired professors, associate professors, and administrative officers who are specially recommended to the board by Virginia Tech President Tim Sands in recognition of exemplary service to the university. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board receive a copy of the resolution and a certificate of appreciation.

A member of the Virginia Tech community from 1995 to 2018, Hausman brought national and international visibility to Virginia Tech through her interdisciplinary scholarship on feminist theory and literature, gender, transsexualism, breastfeeding, and vaccine controversy. Her work has been funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Writing Project, and the Virginia Department of Health. She is the author of four books and more than 25 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters.

Her academic contributions have been recognized through such Virginia Tech awards as the Edward S. Diggs Professorship in Humanities and the Excellence in Research and Creative Scholarship Award and the Graduate Advising Award, both from the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

In the classroom, Hausman taught more than 25 undergraduate and graduate courses, directed the undergraduate research of 15 students, and chaired nine doctoral committees and eight master’s degree committees. In 2010, she began teaching courses at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, where she was a professor in the Department of Interprofessionalism.

Hausman has twice been named an Outstanding Dissertation Advisor by the Virginia Tech Graduate School.

In addition to her teaching and research, Hausman served as president of the Faculty Senate, chair of the Department of English, and a member of numerous university, college, and department committees.

In 2018, Hausman was named chair of the Department of Humanities at the Penn State College of Medicine.

Hausman received her bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Iowa.