Vance Byrd

Candidate statement

I am a Presidential Associate Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures at the University of Pennsylvania, where I hold a secondary appointment in History of Art. I teach and publish on literature in German since the late eighteenth century, visual culture, history of the book and periodicals, environmental studies, and commemorative culture. My research has been supported by grants from the Mellon Foundation, Fulbright, the NEH, the National Humanities Center, and the Getty Research Institute.

I have been an active member of the GSA. I have given papers, organized panels, as well as convened and participated in seminars, roundtables, and plenary sessions at our annual meetings. I served on the GSA-DAAD Book Prize Committee, Program Committee, and I was the Program Director in 2021. I currently represent the Association on the Advisory Committee of the Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies. I always try to be practical and transparent when problems need to be solved. It would be an honor to support the GSA in its advocacy role for the study of language and the humanities on our campuses, as well as in its function for professional development, mentorship, and intellectual exchange at our conferences.