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Eastern professor from Willington honored with Connecticut State University Professorship

by Noel Teter

Willimantic, CT (08/19/2025) — Daniel Donaghy of Willington, professor of English at Eastern Connecticut State University, was recently awarded a Connecticut State University (CSU) Professorship in recognition of his professional accomplishments, creative works, and contributions to Eastern and the greater Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system.

No more than four faculty members receive this honor in a given year, and no more than twelve serve the role at a given time. Each recipient is recommended for the award by their respective university president and approved by the president of the Connecticut Board of Regents.

Donaghy will retain the title of CSU Professor for the remainder of his tenure within the system.

"A CSU Professorship is the greatest honor a [Connecticut State University] professor can receive," said Donaghy. "I'm going to work every day for the rest of my career trying to be worthy of it."

Among his accomplishments, Donaghy has published five books of poetry and is a lead organizer of Eastern's annual Literary Festival for High School Students. He has further supported college-bound high school students by leading a poetry course for Eastern's Pre-College Summer program and partnering with area high school teachers on dual enrollment initiatives. Donaghy also received the 2025 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award.

Additionally, included with his application were letters of support from several Eastern colleagues and award-winning poets and scholars, including Margaret Gibson, Jose B. Gonzalez, Steve Myers, Maria Mazziotti Gillan, and Robert B. Hass. "They are all outstanding writers whom I am proud to call friends," he said.

While Donaghy now seeks to honor his heightened status as a CSU Professor, his mission of uplifting contemporary perspectives through poetry and creative writing stays the same. To this end, he will continue to teach, create, and consume literature the same way he has in the past.

"I'm going to continue to research and create poems, essays, short stories, and scripts about life in contemporary cities as I've been doing throughout my career," he said.

"I'll also continue to create work in various artistic media that brings to life important moments in American history that have been erased from our public memory."

Aside from those whose perspectives he brings to light through his writing, Donaghy seeks to serve his students through each step of the process: "I'll continue to bring what I've learned through the process of my research and writing into the classroom and create assignments and opportunities for students to explore through creative writing issues that are important to them."

Through projects such as "Here," Eastern's annual poetry journal that Donaghy founded in 2017, Donaghy joins forces meaningfully with other creative writers, allowing each the space to make their perspectives understood. In a collaborative sense, he said, the lecture hall is no different.

"I love collaborating with other artists and I see teaching as a daily act of collaboration between my students and me," he said. "As students share their work with each other, they're validating each other's spoken and written voices as well as their own. They're validating each other's humanity."

Donaghy submitted copies of several of his scholarly works with his application, including the fifth issue of "Here." He is particularly proud of this issue because it showcases the creative writing strength of Eastern students through works centered on racial and environmental justice.

"We were proud to publish Eastern student poets alongside some of the most celebrated writers in the United States," said Donaghy. "If I removed the names and showed you just the poems, you would be hard pressed to distinguish between the nationally celebrated authors and Eastern students."

Donaghy began his position at Eastern in 2005. As he reaches the 20-year mark of his service to the University, he is filled with gratitude for the opportunities it presents him daily, to continue connecting with students, other creative writers, and underserved communities.

Donaghy's career path was inspired by one of his former English professors at Kutztown University, Harry Humes, whom he called "the best teacher I've ever had." Humes taught Donaghy the importance of expression in spite of his environment.

"I grew up in inner-city Philadelphia around men who didn't talk about anything, ever," he said. "They kept everything bottled up until it caused pain to them or those who loved them. Harry helped me find a path to a life beyond all of that bitterness, anger, and frustration."

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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving upwards of 4,000 students annually on its Willimantic campus. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 68 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal arts foundation grounded in a variety of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 25 public institutions in the North by U.S. News & World Report in its 2024-25 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 15 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.

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