Marie M. Meyer Distinguished Professor
Established in 2006 by the St. Olaf Board of Regents, the Marie M. Meyer Distinguished Professor is named in honor of Marie Malmin Meyer, professor emerita of English, 1899-2001. One of the first St. Olaf recipients of a faculty Fulbright award, Marie Meyer taught Shakespeare and world literature in the department of English from 1923 until her retirement in 1968. For over a quarter of a century she was a member and frequent chair of the faculty's Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee. This chair recognizes Dr. Meyer’s distinguished record of teaching, leadership, scholarship, and service to the college.
Professor Kermott has introduced generations of St. Olaf students to behavioral ecology through the study of wrens in southern Minnesota. This project has resulted in over eighteen publications, many growing out of summer research projects with St. Olaf students. Recent work has focused on the evolution of polygyny in birds, differences in reproductive success among individuals, and the function of bird song—the latter using computer analysis of digitized bird songs.
