Inspiring Students through British Lit: Dr. Heidi LaVine

Dr. Heidi LaVine joined Westminster’s English Department in the Fall of 2009, having completed her Ph.D. in English at the University of Iowa.  She quickly established her reputation as an outstanding professor of British and postcolonial literature.

“Without Dr. LaVine, my life would not have the focus it does now,” says Tyler Haulotte ’15. “She has gone out of her way, year after year, to help me cultivate my studies and help me develop a passion that I’d now like to devote my life to. Without her, my life would be completely different, and I can’t thank her enough.”

In 2012, she took on the monumental task of helping to design and direct the Westminster Honors Program, which serves nearly 50 of our highest-achieving students and sets a standard of excellence for the entire student body. She has served on the Curriculum Committee and the Assessment Committee, among several other service activities.

“She will be one of the professors I will remember for the rest of my life,” says Tyler.

Dr. LaVine was awarded the Outstanding Junior Faculty Member in the Humanities in the Fall of 2013 and was recognized at the Alpha Chi Induction Ceremony for her excellence in teaching in both 2012 and 2013. Her research in postcolonial and specifically Caribbean literature has taken her around the world. Dr. LaVine was awarded tenure by Westminster College in February of 2015.