WWU's Anne Lobeck retires after teaching for more than 30 years at Western

After more than 30 years teaching Western students, WWU Professor of Linguistics Anne Lobeck retired on Sept. 1. Anne came to Western as an assistant Professor in 1990 and spent the first 28 years as a member of the English Department. She was instrumental in helping to establish the Linguistics Department, and she has been a member of the department since its inception in 2019.  

Lobeck’s scholarship is internationally known; she is recognized as a scholar on the syntactic phenomenon known as ellipsis as well as a leader in linguistics pedagogy and the integration of linguistics into primary and secondary education. Her many books, articles, book chapters, and presentations in both areas of syntax and linguistics in education are a testament to her depth and breadth as a scholar. In 2021, Lobeck was inducted as a Fellow into the Linguistic Society of America class of Fellows. LSA Fellows are chosen based on distinguished contributions to the field, including scholarly excellence, service to the LSA, and teaching and mentoring excellence.  

Anne’s commitment to undergraduate education and to making Western one of the best places to study linguistics is unparalleled. To help ensure that legacy continues, the department is endowing a scholarship in her name, the Anne Lobeck Linguistics Scholarship. To make a donation in her honor, visit https://www.vikingfunder.com/project/33941/donate.