Phil Weitl

Professor

Phone Number: 402.826.8264
Department: English
Office: GA303
Email: [email protected]
Primary Campus: Crete
Credentials: BA, MA, MFA

About

Professor Philip Jude Weitl joined the English Department in the summer of 2005.  Since then he has held the prestigious Ardis Butler James Endowed Chair and has been voted Teacher of the  Year by Doane students.  Known simply as Phil among his students, he teaches a variety of courses, nearly all of them focused on his lifelong passion for writing.  He is the creator and founding director of The Writing Center and now serves as the advisor for Xanadu, Doane's student literary magazine.  He was elected by his colleagues to Doane's Promotion and  Tenure Committee, and he serves on advisory groups for both The Writing Center and the Health and Society Program.  The latter duty aligns with his ongoing work in the field of narrative medicine.   He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Nebraska, as well as a Master of Arts in English and a Graduate Certificate in Technical and Professional Communication from Kansas State University.  He has since returned to the Nebraska MFA in Writing program as a visiting residency faculty member.  His writing has been recognized by literary magazines around the country, as well as the prestigious Best American Essays anthology series.  Prior to his academic career, he worked as a campaign field operative before serving as the Speechwriter and Deputy Press Secretary for Governor Mike Johanns of Nebraska.  He is currently writing a memoir about this experience, which also informs the stories he has written over the years for Nebraska Life magazine.