Your One Wild and Precious Life": A Lifetime of Learning

Dr. Diane Henningfeld

Dr. Henningfeld began her relationship with Adrian College as an undergraduate studying English and Religion and went on to become a valued member of the Adrian College Community. She went on to get her teacher certification and worked for Adrian Public Schools for several years as a substitute teacher and in their Adult Education Program. She eventually went back to earn a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and took some graduate classes in English language and literature before returning to Adrian College as an Instructor in the English Department. While working as an Instructor at Adrian she went on to earn her Ph.D. in English from Michigan State University. Following her Doctorate she went on to become an Assistant professor and worked her way up to Full Professor at Adrian. While a professor in the English department at Adrian College she taught a wide variety of classes including Senior Seminar, British Literature, Medieval Literature, Methods of Literary Study, Modernism and Post Modernism, and Shakespeare. During her time at Adrian she was honored with many awards such as the Advisor of the Year, two Teaching Excellence Awards, and an Outstanding Faculty Award

After retiring from Adrian College as a professor Dr. Henningfeld continued to be engaged academic pursuits, she is also an accomplished author and editor, writing many informative non-fiction works for Greenhaven press with recent titles such Health, Freedom of Expression, and Famine. She also served Adrian College in the role of Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations working with the Office of Development to write grant proposals to foundations, corporations, government agencies, and private donors.