Jacqueline Bixler honored with emerita status

Mark Owczarski

17 May 2024

Jacqueline Bixler, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Spanish in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the title of Alumni Distinguished Professor Emerita by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

The emerita title may be conferred on retired faculty members who are specially recommended to the board by Virginia Tech President Tim Sands in recognition of exemplary service to the university. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board receive a copy of the resolution and a certificate of appreciation.

A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1980, Bixler earned an international reputation for her scholarly work in Latin American theater, focusing on Mexican performance art. She wrote seven books and edited volumes on Mexican playwrights. She also published more than 60 articles on Mexican, Argentine, Peruvian, and Chilean theater. She has served as editor of the Latin American Theatre Review, a journal devoted to the study and dissemination of Latin American and Latinx theatre.

In 2008, Bixler organized the seventh Latin American Theatre Today held at Virginia Tech, hosting nearly 200 scholars, directors, and actors from the United States, Latin America and Europe for five days of presentations, scholarly debate, and live performances.

In the classroom, Bixler taught both undergraduate and graduate-level courses, and was recognized for this work as an inductee in the Academy of Teaching Excellence, and a recipient of the Alumni Excellence in Teaching Award, the Diggs Teaching Scholar Award, and three Certificates of Teaching Excellence. She advised numerous undergraduate and master’s degree students and helped them develop successful careers in both academic and industrial settings.

During her career at Virginia Tech, she served as department head of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures and as director of the School of Performing Arts.

In 2016, Bixler was honored with the State Council of Higher Education of Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award, the commonwealth’s highest honor for faculty in Virginia’s public and private colleges and universities, recognizing their commitment to excellence in teaching, research, knowledge integration, and public service.

Bixler received her bachelor's degree from Ohio University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Kansas.