BOONE, N.C. — The Appalachian State University College of Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Darci Gardner as director of the Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies (CJHPS), effective July 1.
Gardner is a professor of French in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, with a B.A. in Comparative Literature from Vanderbilt University and a Ph.D. in French with a minor in Italian from Stanford University. She specializes in nineteenth‑ and twentieth‑century French literature, and her research and teaching draw on cognitive approaches to literature while emphasizing intersections between literary texts and other arts.
Before joining App State in 2014, Gardner taught at Stanford, where she completed Oral Proficiency Interview training and became an ACTFL Certified Tester in French. At App State, she has designed a range of innovative courses — from a General Education class on filmic adaptations to a short‑term study abroad program in Paris, where she has taken student groups to visit sites of remembrance, including the Mémorial de la Shoah and the Mémorial des martyrs de la Déportation. She regularly teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in French literature, language, and pedagogy, and has experience leading professional development activities for K-12 teachers.
Since 2023, Gardner has served as the founding director of High Country Humanities, a college–community partnership that has quickly become a key hub for humanities engagement and support. Under her leadership, the initiative has implemented four external grants totaling $36k, raised approximately $8k in in‑kind donations, organized 30 humanities events, and supported 122 affiliate events in collaboration with 11 local nonprofits. High Country Humanities also supports faculty scholarship through its Travel Fund, established by Gardner, which has awarded over $70k to 81 humanities faculty across nine departments since fall 2023.
In her new role as director of CJHPS, Gardner will guide the Center's mission to strengthen tolerance, understanding, and remembrance by sustaining relationships with Center stakeholders; leading fundraising efforts; organizing the annual symposium; and directing the Center's public‑facing programming, including guest speakers and special events open to campus and community audiences.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Darci Gardner as the next director of CJHPS and in thanking Dr. Davis Hankins for his dedicated leadership and service to the Center over the past two years.
###
About the Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies
Appalachian State University’s Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies was established in 2002 to develop new educational opportunities for students, teachers, and the community. Located administratively within the College of Arts and Sciences, the center’s vision promotes tolerance, understanding, and respect for all human life. To accomplish this vision, the center works to strengthen tolerance, understanding, and remembrance by increasing the knowledge of Jewish culture and history, teaching the history and meaning of the Holocaust, and utilizing these experiences to explore peaceful avenues for human improvement and the prevention of further genocides. Learn more about the Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies
About the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
The Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures offers courses that enhance students’ understanding of other cultures and languages as well as their own, preparing them for lifelong learning in a multicultural world. Learn more about the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Appalachian State University is home to 17 academic departments, two centers, and one residential college. These units span the humanities and the social, mathematical, and natural sciences. CAS aims to develop a distinctive identity built upon our university's strengths, traditions, and locations. The college’s values lie not only in service to the university and local community, but through inspiring, training, educating, and sustaining the development of its students as global citizens. More than 6,800 student majors are enrolled in the college. As the college is also largely responsible for implementing App State’s general education curriculum, it is heavily involved in the education of all students at the university, including those pursuing majors in other colleges. Learn more about the College of Arts and Sciences
Dr. Darci Gardner is a professor of French in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. Photo by University Communications
Dr. Darci Gardner is a professor of French in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. Photo by University Communications