When Yusur Al-Madani completed her doctoral studies with the University of Colorado Boulder in 1982, she became the first Kuwaiti citizen to earn a PhD in English literature with an American emphasis. Upon receiving her degree, Professor Al-Madani returned to Kuwait where she’s led a distinguished career at Kuwait University in a range of faculty and administrative roles.
Al-Madani will return to Boulder on Oct. 26 to receive CU Boulder’s George Norlin Award, which “recognizes outstanding alumni who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in their chosen field of endeavor and a devotion to the betterment of society and their community.” She will also give a talk to the Department of English on Nov. 3.
Professor Martin Bickman of the Department of English –University of Colorado Boulder, said : “I am totally awed by Yusur’s intellectual and scholarly development in a range of literatures and cultures that would seem to have taken several lifetimes to master.”