Martin Buinicki, a professor of English at Valparaiso University, was appointed the next Richard P. Baepler Distinguished Professor in the Humanities.

The four-year professorship honors exceptional teachers focused on interdisciplinary study of the humanities. Buinicki’s term will begin Aug. 1.

Buinicki’s work explores education through gaming. Planned projects include developing learning-focused games and role-playing games involving poetry, rhyming and spelling.

“I really believe in the power of games in education, regardless of the discipline,” Buinicki said in a press release.

Buinicki will be leading the Wente Faculty Seminar, using his research to promote interdisciplinary teaching, course development and scholarship.

“I really see this as an opportunity to learn alongside my colleagues,” Buinicki said. “The focus will be on games and pedagogy, and how we can use games in the classroom regardless of our fields. We may even explore designing new games for our courses.”

Buinicki joined Valparaiso University in 2004. He was the Walter G. Friedrich Professor of American Literature from 2011 to 2020. He holds the Benz Fund Professorship.

The Richard P. Baepler Distinguished Professor in the Humanities honors Richard Baepler, a professor at Valparaiso University from 1954 to 1999. The professorship is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and a gift from Walter and Pauline Scaer Wente.

Valparaiso University is a private Lutheran school. The university was founded in 1859. It offers over 70 majors and serves about 3,000 students.