VT Stories Oral History with Virginia "Ginney" Fowler, March 23, 2018 (Ms2016-015)

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Ginney Fowler was born in Lexington, Kentucky but moved around for the majority of her upbringing. From age four to seventeen, she lived in Texas, Montana, Kentucky, Oregon, and Florida, but then entered the University of Kentucky as an early entrant. Although she started as a philosophy major, Ginny switched into English, graduating in 1969. She continued with a graduate program at the University of Pittsburgh, and stayed for a PhD, defending in 1976.

She came to Virginia Tech in a stroke of luck. After finishing her PhD, Virginia Tech went through a massive hiring process in building a College of Arts and Sciences. She arrived as an assistant professor in 1977, and spent her career at the school, teaching and writing.

Although she began as a Victorian scholar in grad school, her research agenda changed to focusing on female and minority writers, which she emphasizes the importance of. In working at Virginia Tech, she specifically emphasizes the importance of liberal arts education. In this interview, Ginny talks about her journey to arriving at Virginia Tech, changes she’s seen on campus, her research agenda, and concerns she has for the university.