France awards ESU grad teaching honor

Alain-Philippe Durand (BA 1992) and his wife, Sherri (Stafford) Durand, (BS 1990, MBA 1992)

When Alain-Philippe Durand arrived on the Emporia State University campus in 1988, he was ESU’s only student from France.

Now, 15 years after earning his bachelor’s degree at Emporia State, Durand has attained another measure of celebrity. An associate professor at the University of Rhode Island, Dr. Alain-Philippe Durand has been awarded France’s highest teaching honor, the Palmes Académiques, for his distinguished service to French education.

The award, established by Napoleon, was presented to Durand during a pinning ceremony on the URI campus in Kingston, R.I., Oct. 19.

Known at URI as an enthusiastic French “ambassador,” Durand has been instrumental in increasing the number of students majoring in French. Thanks to Durand’s persuasive personality, URI’s French and Francophone Studies is now the third largest in the country.

Durand also teaches film media studies, comparative literature, and honors courses. This semester, the versatile professor with the heavy French accent serves as the interim chair of URI’s English Department.

“He is a unique force,” said French Consul François Gauthier from the French Consulate in Boston who presented the medallion to Durand. “He is working magic.”

“J’ai deux amours,” commented Durand during the ceremony. “I have two loves…my country and America. He recalled as a child listening to his grandparents tell how grateful they were when the Americans arrived in France during World War II. He also recalled some of their family films, especially one of their visits to friends who had immigrated to Newport, R.I.

Durand is quick to point out, though, that his enthusiasm stems from the welcoming attitude that he encountered the moment he stepped on the Emporia State campus. “ESU welcomed me,” said Durand. “It’s always has been a very important school for me, because they opened the door to America to me.”

Those opened doors quickly showed Durand the possibilities that awaited him, something he strives to do now that he’s on the other side of the desk. “My ESU professors took the time to set me on a track for success. And I try to do that for my students now,” Durand noted.

Reflecting on his years at ESU during an interview, Durand remembered the friendly, helpful people. “One of the things that was important to me was how welcoming the people were,” said Durand. “My English wasn’t that good, yet when I think back, everybody was so welcoming.”

Durand’s memories of Emporia State are further enriched by the fact that it’s where he met his future wife, Sheri (Stafford) Durand (BS 1990, MBA 1992), who is now on site counsel at Textron Financial in Providence, RI.

“He brings people together,” said URI senior Patricia Matthews, who watched her professor receive the French honor. On Durand’s urging, Matthews spent a year in France in a direct exchange program at the Université d’Orléans. After graduation in May, she hopes to either teach English in France or join the Peace Corps. “Taking French classes with him was the best thing that happened to me at URI,” she said.

Jan Wenzel, a public information officer in the URI Communications Office, assisted in preparation of this report.

Last Updated November 5, 2007>