Dr. Andrew Pfrenger is the newest member of Kent State Salem’s English faculty. He comes to Kent State Salem from the University of Connecticut where he was a teaching assistant since 2001. In this role, he was responsible for the content, management and grading of his courses.  While at the University of Connecticut, Dr. Pfrenger was also the English program coordinator and writing center administrator for the Student Support Services Summer Program. From 2004 to 2009 he was part of the university’s Graduate Advisory Committee for the Medieval Studies Program. 

Prior to joining the University of Connecticut, Dr. Pfrenger was a language instructor for the U.S. Peace Corps in Arsenyev, Russia. In this role, he taught English as a second language to students of all levels and ages, from sixth grade to adult. Dr. Pfrenger was responsible for course design and implementation. 

Dr. Pfrenger earned both his Masters of Art and his Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from the University of Connecticut in May. His dissertation was titled “The Wisdom to Choose: Emotion and Authority in Old English Literature.”  He earned his Bachelor’s of Art from Florida State University with a double major in English and Latin; he graduated with honors. 

Dr. Pfrenger has presented at numerous conferences including those hosted by Yale University and Princeton University. He was also both the organizer and a moderator for the panel “Vengeance in Late Medieval England” at the 42nd International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, MI. 

Dr. Pfrenger uses Classical Latin, Medieval Latin, Old English, Middle English, Old Norse, Modern Icelandic, German and French when performing research.