Anne Curzan

Anne Curzan, a trained linguist, studies the history of the English language. She describes herself as a fount of random linguistic information about how English got to be the way it is—information she shares every Sunday on the show “That’s What They Say” on Michigan Public Radio. She has also dedicated one major strand of her career to helping students and the broader public understand linguistic diversity as part of cultural diversity, and language change as a natural part of living languages. Curzan has received university awards for outstanding research and undergraduate teaching, including the Henry Russel Award and the John Dewey Award. She is an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and the Geneva Smitherman Collegiate Professor of English Language and Literature, Linguistics, and Education. As dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at U-M from 2019-2024, Curzan was committed to advancing the college as the leading model for the power of a liberal arts education within a top-ranked research university. She is deeply invested in people and fostering a diverse and inclusive college where all can thrive, and she aimed to promote a culture based in purpose and contributing to the common good, the power of learning, the value of play, and the importance of well-being. Prior to becoming dean in 2019, Curzan held multiple administrative roles, including Associate Dean for the Humanities for LSA, Faculty Athletics Representative for the University of Michigan, and Director of the English Department Writing Program. She teaches courses on the history of English, English grammar, language and gender, and the dynamics of conversations. She earned her B.A. in linguistics from Yale University and her Ph.D. in English language and literature from the University of Michigan.