Valija Evalds, RECIPIENTS OF THE 2007 METTLE AWARD

NOMINATOR'S STATEMENT
Valija Evalds: Mettle Nomination

 I think everyone knows someone who tried to get a doctorate and failed. But how many people know someone who stuck at it for 12 years, working as an adjunct teacher, a theater usher, and assorted other odd jobs to get by in the meantime, and finally finished—only to land one of the best positions in their field?

That’s Valija. Her specialism is medieval art, one of the most persnickety of art historical fields, and she had a string of advisors ranging from the eccentrically over-enthusiastic to the eccentrically resistant. She’s lived in England and Italy doing research amongst nuns and monks. She wrote, rewrote, and rewrote her thesis, heroically addressing the esoteric concerns of gentleman scholars twice her age, somehow remaining ever-optimistic. Finally, this past December, she was awarded the degree, and for her reward was appointed Professor of Medieval Art at the University of Kansas.

My favorite Valija story concerns her adjunct teaching at Yale a couple of years back. She was spending every waking moment working on her dissertation. Valija had a student named Barbara in her class, who didn’t seem very bright and seemed to make the other students a bit nervous. Valija thought she would be helpful to this student, and offered her help with her senior thesis, which Barbara gladly accepted. At one point they were sitting outdoors when a fire alarm went off, and Barbara stood up and raced off without explanation. Then there was the time that Barbara didn’t appear on the official course list, so Valija called the dean and the dean said, “oh, no, she won’t appear on your list. And please send her grades straight to me.” Perhaps Barbara was on academic probation? Valija tried to be even more helpful after that. That December she was sitting at home with her partner Beth, grading papers. Beth was watching the White House Xmas special, and there was her Barbara sitting under the tree with Jenna, Laura, and George W.

Another lovely thing about Valija is that she has sent her friends many letters about the tribulations of her dissertating experience. They are peppered with cute drawings, almost-accurate quotes from her professors (“Incisive, well-written, and absorbing... But can you make the whole thing less stupid?”), Frequently Asked Questions (Q: “Why do you have to be such a perfectionist?” A: “Please forward directly to my advisor”), sad doses of reality (“I now have detention for the whole summer”) and cheery optimism (“I do notice a change in my attitude. Instead of thinking, ‘how can I kill myself today?’ when I sit down at my desk every morning, I find myself thinking, ‘what can I break?’ I am told this means I am ready to finish”). The last of these took the form of a small pink card with the following inscription:

VALIJA EVALDS
Is pleased to announce that she has finally
FINISHED
Her stupid, wretched, miserable, Godforsaken
DISSERTATION
And that as of
DECEMBER 2006
She will be
DR. VALIJA EVALDS
She thanks you for your patience.

Perhaps by no coincidence, Valija also tied the knot with Beth this past autumn. Valija deserves a Mettle award.

2008 The Mettle Award Recipient

2006 The Mettle Award Recipient

2005 The Mettle Award Recipient

2004 The Mettle Award Recipient