“It’s like a basketball trophy,” said English professor Katherine Adams, looking at the wooden figure of a book on her windowsill. “You keep it for a year and then give it to the next person.” The award has small gold faceplates emblazoned with the names of professors who have received Loyola’s Dux Academicus award. Adams is the latest recipient of this award for teaching, scholarship and service.Dux Academicus is Latin for “Academic Leader.” For a quarter of a century, the faculty has annually bestowed the award on one of its members.” It’s a sign that your colleagues have respect for you,” Adams said.A native of Gainesville,Florida -where her father teaches at the University of Florida – Adams received her doctorate in English from Florida State University. Although the concentration of her degree was in 18th-century English Literature, she received a job at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville teaching rhetorical theory and practice. That, Adams said, is when she entered the field of writing instruction and began studying the background of the teaching of writing, which continues to be her particular area of research.In 1987, Adams came from Tennessee to Loyola, along with her husband, part-time English instructor Vick Adams. She said that her experience at Loyola has been different than it was at larger universities.”It’s different here, and I tried to discuss that when I gave the talk for the Dux,” Adams said. “I know people in every discipline here. In Tennessee, I only knew the English department. If I want to discuss any subject – philosophy, history or foreign languages – I just walk down the hall or up the stairs.”Adams said she believes a smaller university environment also aided her work with students.”I think the students have a more personal relationship with teachers here – especially the English majors,” she said. “I think it helps them feel like they can write, to have a teacher taking interest in their writing. I teach someone as a sophomore, and as a senior I can see the progress. That’s different from a large university,” Adams said.Rachel Ritter, English writing sophomore, said she is not surprised that Adams received the award. “She has such a warmth for her students,” Ritter said. Warmth is not the only thing Ritter values in her classes with Adams. “She’s completely crazy,” Ritter said. “But that just makes her an even better teacher. She once faked a fistfight with a student in order to illustrate something for the class.”Adams served as director of the Writing Across the Curriculum lab until 1992. Now she is the director of the Freshman English program in addition to teaching advanced writing courses. “She carries a laptop with her all over the place, always working on one thing or another,” Vick Adams said of his wife.Kate Adams has written numerous scholarly publications and is working with Melanie McKay, associate English professor, on a study of representations of women in the daily press.Adams said she was very pleased to have received the award. “I looked at it as a tribute from people I really respect. It’s for teaching, scholarship and service. That’s what being a university professor is all about.”Although she teaches a course in 18th-century poetry and drama every other spring, Adams still focuses on writing.”Although I love teaching literature, I find teaching writing to be more varied. In a way, each semester’s text is the students’ text,” Adams said. Adams once more emphasized her enjoyment in watching a student’s writing skills progress. “I really like to see a student’s writing improve,” she said. “You can really see it over the course of 15 weeks. And it’s something that all of them will use. I find that very exciting. I teach a skill, and a few weeks later that student is using that skill on a regular basis.”Adams said that writing is important for more than just English majors. “Writing will be a feature in whatever career a student might choose,” she said. “Even for people such as accountants, communication is important. Also, a lot of the English majors graduate from Loyola and go into professional writing jobs. That’s great.”Mary McCay, chair of the English department, nominated Adams for the award. “I nominated Dr. Adams because she personifies, in teaching, research and service, the best values of Loyola University,” McCay said. “She is indeed a Dux.”