Karen Laughlin served as Dean of Undergraduate Studies at Florida State University and also held a tenured position as Associate Professor of English. She received her B.A. from Duke University, where she got her first real taste of the South, and she was lucky enough to spend a semester of her undergraduate years in Aix-en-Provence, France on a study abroad program. After graduating, she returned to France on a Fulbright Fellowship that enabled her to teach English at a high school in Limoges. She then went to Canada and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Comparative Literature at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Laughlin came to FSU in 1982 and held a joint appointment in English and Humanities for several years. Her teaching interests include Modern and American Drama, women's studies, film, and critical theory, and she has a particular interest in the plays of Samuel Beckett. She was awarded a Teaching Incentive Award in 1994 and again in 1996. Her publications include a collection of essays on Theatre and Feminist Aesthetics and articles and book chapters on playwrights such as Bertolt Brecht, Beth Henley, Susan Glaspell, and Megan Terry as well as, of course, Beckett. Before accepting the position of Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Laughlin served as chair of several Faculty Senate Committees (including both the Undergraduate and Graduate Policy Committees) as well as President of the FSU Faculty Senate. As Dean, she is committed to ensuring that the University continues to give a high priority to undergraduate education and to helping to provide FSU's undergraduate students with the richest possible educational experience.
Degrees
- 1982 Doctor of Philosophy, Comparative Literature, University of Toronto
- 1974 Master of Arts, Comparative Literature, University of Toronto
- 1972 Bachelor of Arts, English and French, Duke University
Teaching Appointments
- The Florida State University, Department of English
- Associate Professor (1987‑present).
- Assistant Professor (1982‑1987).
- Overload Adjunct Instructor, International Programs, Florida State University (2011)
- University of Toronto, Department of English
- Teaching Assistant (1979‑82).
- University of Toronto, School of Continuing Studies
- Instructor (1977).
- Lycée Léonard Limousin, Limoges, France
- Assistante d'anglais (1972‑73).
Administrative Work at Florida State University
- Dean of Undergraduate Studies,
- Co-Chair, Enrollment Management Committee (Retention),
- Task Team Member, SACS Fifth-Year Interim Report,
- Liaison to Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), 2006-2009
- Task Team Member and Chair, Educational Programs Subcommittee for SACS Review, 2002-2004
- Associate Chair and Director of Graduate Studies, Department of English, 1993-96
National and Regional Service and Administration
- Board Member, Reinvention Center, 2013-2018
- SUS Undergraduate Deans Council (Founding Member), 2005-present
- Member, State of Florida General Education Steering Committee, 2012-2014
- University Representative, ACC Inter-Institutional Collaborative, 2009-
- Member, Advisory Council of Faculty Senates, 1998-2002
- Director, Samuel Beckett Society, 1989-96
- SAGE (South Atlantic Graduate English Cooperative), 1993-96, Chair 1995-96
- SAMLA, Modern Drama Section Chair, 1988-89, Secretary, 1987-88
Latest University Service
- Ex-Officio Member, Undergraduate Policy Committee, 2003-
- Ex-Officio Member, University Admissions Committee, 2003-
- Ex-Officio Member, University Athletic Board, 2003-
- President-Elect, Alpha of Florida Phi Beta Kappa, 2015-
- President, Florida State University Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi, 2006-2007
- Member, Vice President for Student Affairs Search Committee, 2003
- Member, Vice President for University Relations Search Committee, 2003
- President, Florida State University Faculty Senate, 2000-02
- Faculty Senate Steering Committee, 1998-03 ;Vice Chair, 1998-00
- Senator, Florida State University Faculty Senate, 1995-03
- At-large representative for Arts & Sciences, 1999-2001
- Presidential Search Advisory Committee, 2002
- Board Member and Member of Executive Committee, Florida State University Foundation, 2000-02
- University Budget Advisory Committee, 2000-02
- Auxiliary Services Board, 2000-02
- Honor System Committee, 2000-02
- Martin Luther King Planning Committee, 2000-02
- Board Member, FSU Alumni Association, 2000-02
Honors and Awards
- 2008 Honorary Member, Oscar Arias Sanchez Hispanic Honor Society
- 2006 “Being There” Award, Division of Student Affairs, Florida State University
- 2003 Honorary Member, W.E.B. DuBois Honor Society
- 2002 Awarded Competitive One-Semester Sabbatical
- 1997 Nominated for University Teaching Award
- 1997 Teaching Incentive Program (T.I.P.) Award
- 1994 Teaching Incentive Program (T.I.P.) Award
- 1993 Nominated for University Teaching Award
- 1993 FSU Summer research grant (COFRS)
- 1985‑86, 1987‑88, 1988-89, 1990-91, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97 English Department Research Grant
- 1984 First prize in American Theatre Association Competition for Papers in Theory and Criticism of Drama and Performance (for "A Reader's Response to Beckett's Come and Go")
- 1977‑79 Canada Council Doctoral Fellowship
- 1975‑77 Ontario Graduate Scholarship
- 1974‑75 University of Toronto Open Fellowship
- 1972 B.A. awarded magna cum laude and "With Distinction in English"
- 1971 Elected to Phi Beta Kappa