Dan Venning, associate professor of Theater and Dance, has been awarded the Byron A. Nichols Endowed Fellowship for Faculty Development.

The fellowship supports faculty who wish to “strengthen their teaching and design new programs and courses that stimulate intellectual curiosity, foster ethical inquiry and empower students to thrive.”

Venning’s work on theater history, dramatic literature and performance criticism interrogates the intersections between theater, national culture and personal identity.

As part of the fellowship, he will develop a new course, “Dramaturgies of Democracy.” He describes the role of the dramaturg as an “in-house critic,” helping the artists and audiences alike think about themes, structure, and the broader meaning of a play.

President Elizabeth Kiss said in his new course, Venning will apply dramaturgy to the performance of democracy in the past and present, and against the backdrop of the elections of 2028. Through the study of political and theatrical works, students will question and critique, debate points of view through civil discourse, and actively participate as informed citizens in the democratic process at the local, state and national levels.

“His proposed course is an exciting example of how liberal arts disciplines engage and illuminate vital issues,” Kiss said in an announcement about the fellowship.

Venning joined Union in 2017.

The first Nichols fellowship was awarded in 2009 to Stephen J. Schmidt, professor of economics. He developed a new interdisciplinary course, “Values and Economic Justice.” The course, which is listed under Economics and Philosophy, is offered regularly.

The fellowship was created by Susan Mullaney Maycock ’72 and former Union faculty member Alan Maycock in honor of Byron Nichols, a popular professor of political science emeritus who taught from 1968 to 2008.