YSU Names Corey Andrews Endowed Professor of English

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Corey Andrews, a Youngstown State University English professor, has been named the second Grace Ruth Memorial Endowed Professor of English.

The professorship was bestowed at a ceremony Tuesday at DeBartolo Hall at YSU.

“We especially thank Bob Reeder, YSU class of 1981, for giving back to his alma mater in such a significant way,” said YSU President Bill Johnson. “What makes this gift so special is Bob is honoring his grandmother and recognizing her love for poetry and literature in doing so. Congratulations to professor Andrews for earning the distinction as the Grace Ruth Endowed Professor in English.”

Andrews joined YSU’s faculty in 2005. He received his undergraduate degree from Miami University, Ohio, and his master’s and Ph.D. from Ohio University. He has published many articles, book chapters and three books on Robert Burns, who has been considered Scotland’s national poet since the 18th century. 

Andrews has been writing about Burns’ life and works for more than 30 years. His most recent book is “Inventing Scotland’s Bard: The British Reception of Robert Burns, 1786-1836” (2022). He serves on the editorial board of The Burns Chronicle, a journal exclusively dedicated to scholarship on the poet since 1892. He was also recently commissioned by the National Trust of Scotland to provide content for the online resources of the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum.

“It is a great honor to be named the Grace Ruth Professorship in English,” Andrews said. “Her selfless dedication to others helped many people in the Youngstown community during her lifetime. I hope to uphold the memory of her kind and charitable nature as I serve the professorship in her name.”

Grace Ruth was a lifelong Youngstown resident whose dream to attend college and ultimately become a lawyer was cut short by her father’s death. An avid reader and skilled writer, she graduated from high school in two years. She tutored underprivileged students, taught Sunday school at John Knox Presbyterian Church, was the president of the PTA at Garfield and Williamson elementary schools and was a Cub Scout den mother. 

She supported civil rights long before the protests of the 1960s, and she gave generously to charities aimed at helping the poor.

“My grandmother, who had a love of poetry, would be very pleased to have Dr. Andrews receive her professorship in order to explore the legacy of Robert Burns,” Reeder said. “She would be excited at the prospect of furthering the already impressive scholarship of Dr. Andrews into Robert Burns.” 

The research project he will be conducting as the Grace Ruth Professor in English will explore Burns’ legacy in 19th- and 20th-century Britain, focusing particularly on fictional and nonfictional representations of the poet’s life.

Pictured at top: Robert Reeder III, Corey Andrews and YSU President Bill Johnson.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.