Dean Gould Receives Highest Recognition

At its 18th Biennial Conference in St. Louis in November, the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States (ACSUS) named Dean Karen Gould the 2005 recipient of its highest honor, the Donner Medal. ACSUS presents the award biennially to “an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of Canadian Studies in the United States in at least one of the following categories: teaching, scholarship, administration, service.” The Donner Medal selection committee noted that Dr. Gould has been exceptional in all four areas.

A major scholar of Québec feminist writing for over two decades, she has also been a leader in both the national and international Canadian studies communities. Author or co-editor of six books and over 40 articles and essays, her most noted work,

Writing in the Feminine: Feminism and Experimental Writing in Québec

, was described as “a major event in Canadian feminist literary studies.” The ACSUS selection committee summarizes her service to Canadian Studies by observing that “she has been a friend and mentor to scores of young scholars entering the field and a valued colleague to her peers.”

Prior to receiving the Donner Medal, Gould’s honors included the 2003 Governor General’s International Award in Canadian Studies, given by the International Council for Canadian Studies, in recognition of her broad contributions to the field. The Canadian government also honored her with a Senior Research Fellowship in 1986; and in 1992-93, the Fulbright Foundation named her one of its first Fulbright Scholars to Canada.

Designed in 1975 by the internationally known Canadian sculptor Dora de Pédery-Hunt, the Donner Medal in Canadian Studies was funded by a grant to ACSUS from the Donner Foundation of New York City and was first presented in 1975.