Education:

• M.A., English Literature, 1988, NMSU
• B.A., English Literature, 1986, NMSU

Biographical Statement:

I have been teaching in the English Department at NMSU since 1988. That year I completed my M.A. in Literature with emphases in Middle English literature and the Victorian novel from NMSU. I have served in the Faculty Senate as one of the first six non-tenure track faculty representatives. I was promoted to College Professor in 2010.

I have two wonderful adult daughters, one a lawyer and the other a civil engineering student and future architect. My two dogs take me for walks almost every day.

Teaching Statement:

I see my role as facilitating student learning through structured class discussion and individual assignments. I lecture very little and expect students to be prepared for and involved in class. Since Fall 2012, I have been teaching some sections of Literature for Children and Young Adults fully online.

In all my classes, I emphasize building critical thinking and writing skills, as I believes those skills give us power to improve our lives and our world. I help my students by sharing what I have learned, but I most enjoys her classes when students help me and others learn by sharing their own unique insights.

Recent Courses Taught:

• ENGL 363: Literature for Children and Young Adults
• ENGL 328V: Literature of Science Fiction and Fantasy
• ENGL 211G: Writing in the Humanities and Social Sciences
• ENGL 111G: Rhetoric and Composition

University Service:

In 2008, Cindy helped write an amendment to the NMSU Faculty Senate constitution that successfully secured representation for college-track (regular, non-tenured) faculty at NMSU. She served a three-year term as one of the first college-track faculty senators beginning in Fall 2009. Since Fall 2011, Cindy has served on the College of Arts and Sciences College Faculty Promotion committee.

Creative Interests:

Cindy has long been active in local choirs and theatre groups. She started a public group on Facebook, Las Cruces/El Paso Arts Events, where anyone can find and share information on area plays, concerts, readings, art exhibits, and stand-up comedy.

Contact: cmurrell@nmsu.edu or 575-646-3935