English Professor Ann Holbrook, Ph.D., has received Saint Anselm College’s 2025 American Association of University Professor’s (AAUP) Distinguished Faculty Award.
The annual award celebrates a faculty member’s contributions to the College community through teaching excellence and their enduring relationships with both colleagues and students. Sociology and Social Work Professor Kevin Doran, Ph.D., presented the award to Holbrook at the college’s 132nd commencement exercises on Sat., May 18.
“When the committee reviews the nominations for this award, we are sometimes surprised to see that someone clearly deserving of the award has yet to receive it. This year’s recipient is one such case,” began Doran.
Read Professor Doran's full remarks on the 2025 Speeches and Media Page →
Professor Hollbrook has collaborated to create a more inclusive campus and to highlight marginalized voices and perspectives. She has mentored countless students and colleagues. One person wrote that Holbrook has, “influenced my ideas and actions almost every day. From them I learned to study and write about things I truly love and that I want to teach to students.”
While working as a waitress, Holbrook received her Ph.D. from Columbia University with a specialization in 20th Century British Literature. During her 31 years of teaching at the College she has been elected to the Faculty Senate and served as the chair of the English Department. She was the president of the International Rebecca West Society, and co-edited For the Sake of the Song: Essays on Townes Van Zandt, an Americana singer-song writer. In her free time, Holbrook performs as the lead vocalist for “The Quickfire Band” as well as other groups across N.H.
At her heart, Holbook is an educator, and a student wrote that she “wants every student to succeed and grow, and [she] will push [her] students to make sure that happens.”
This year’s commencement exercises took place on the college quad where 459 students earned their bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Carlos Lozada addressed the class of 2025.