Mark Amos | Humanities and Social Sciences | SIU

Professor Amos's scholarship and publications focus on the relationship between late medieval cultures and their literatures. He has written on medieval reading practices and early book production, representations of class relations, and the viability of applying modern theoretical approaches to medieval texts. His current project examines representations of women in secular and sacred texts of the later Middle Ages in England and France. He is editing a collection of articles on the representations of Jews on the medieval and early modern stages, and is planning to edit a collection of primary texts of Middle English courtesy literature. The working title of his monograph is William Caxton's Corpus and the Forging of London's Urban Self, which explores the interplay between printing technology and the promulgation and construction of identity-producing institutions and paradigms in the fifteenth century. Most recently he has been working on developing pedagogies and course components that deploy XR environments.

An accomplished faculty member and faculty leader, Dr. Amos was recruited to enhance the success of incoming students and to meet SIU’s increased institutional retention and graduation goals by leading efforts to integrate the university’s academic and co-curricular experiences. He designed and helmed the resultant program through its evolution from First-Year Experience to Saluki First Year before being selected as Associate Provost and Founding Dean of SIU’s University College (UC), an ambitious, comprehensive, campus-wide structure that joins Student Affairs and Academic Affairs programs to support students. Under Dr. Amos’s leadership, the units in the UC choreographed student support efforts with pedagogical innovation through the design and coordination of the following shifting units: University Core Curriculum, University Honors Program, First-Year Student Advisement, Exploratory Student Advisement, New Student Programs, Career Preparation and Career Services, Student Support Services (TRIO), Upward Bound (TRIO), Learning Support Services, Future Scholars, Student Success, Testing Services, Saluki First Year, First Scholars Program, Saluki Peer Mentors, Student Success Courses, Undergraduate Research, Saluki Summer Bridge to Success, Early Intervention System, and University Studies.

In his eight years of increasing responsibility, Dr. Amos was responsible for visioning, strategic design (e.g. needs assessment, long-range planning, programmatic redesign, new program design and launch, budget forecasting), strategic budgeting ($4.5 million annually), team-building, and development of faculty and unit directors in an evolving, dynamic fiscal environment. Before returning to the faculty, he proved effective in the envisioning, design, implementation, supervision, and assessment of multi-faceted, campus-wide programs that span the academic affairs / student affairs divide, programs based on educational best practices and a nuanced understanding of the specific needs of Southern Illinois University’s administration, faculty, staff, and students. During that period he was on point for SIU’s retention efforts, which achieved an increase of over 10%.