Peter Schakel Is The Peter C. and Emajean Cook Professor of English

Dr. Peter Shakel is the "Peter C. and Emajean Cook Professor of English."

The endowed chair was established in 1975 by Peter C. and Emajean Cook to provide financial support for a faculty member who has an established record of excellence as a Christian scholar, as evidenced by effectiveness in teaching, a record of scholarship, a Christian life marked by a meaningful integration of faith and practice, and who subscribes to the concept and principle of the free enterprise system.

Schakel has been a member of the Hope faculty since 1969, and has held his endowed professorship since 1984. He is a graduate of Central College in Iowa and holds graduate degrees from Southern Illinois University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He is an internationally respected scholar of C.S. Lewis's work. He has published seven books on Lewis, including most recently "The Way into Narnia: A Reader's Guide" in 2005 and "Is Your Lord Large Enough? How C.S. Lewis Expands Our View of God" in 2008.

Schakel has also written and edited books on Jonathan Swift and 18th-century British literature, and has co-authored or co-edited four literature and poetry textbooks with colleague Jack Ridl, professor emeritus of English.

In 2004, Hope presented him with the "Ruth and John Reed Faculty Achievement Award," bestowed upon a faculty member who is a superior teacher and has also contributed significantly to some other area of professional life. He has received external recognition including a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) fellowship for college teachers during 1979-80; NEH summer seminar support in 1981, 1987 and 1997; and Mythopoeic Society Scholarship Awards in 1984, 1992 and 1996. In 2009, Schakel presented "A Boy Called Eustace and a Hope Education" during the college's Opening Convocation.

Endowed chairs are established by donors who wish to assist the college on a permanent basis through the support of a faculty member. The gift is placed in the college's endowment fund with investment income used to support the work of the honored professor. In addition to recognizing faculty members for excellence, endowed chairs provide funding for summer research projects as well as some salary support.

Learn more about establishing an endowed professorship