Neumann University presented its School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Education Distinguished Alumni Award to Lansdale resident Sheila Sandapen PhD at a March 12 ceremony.

Sandapen graduated from Neumann University in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in French, which included study at Université Laval in Québec. On campus, she was a staff writer and co-editor of the school newspaper, The Looking Glass, and was involved in several theater productions.

After completing her degree, she earned a master’s degree in writing and publishing from Emerson College in Boston and returned to Neumann University to teach full-time in the English and communications program.

She left Neumann University in 2007 to pursue a doctorate in literature and criticism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She completed her degree in 2009 and was hired by Drexel University.

Dr. Sandapen teaches in the English and Philosophy Department and the Honors College at Drexel. In 2021 she was appointed director for English Programs and achieved the rank of Teaching Professor in September of 2023.

She maintains an active research agenda, writing and presenting on a range of topics including 20th-century Black British literature, feminist and gender studies, popular culture, and cultural studies.

The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented to graduates whose careers are characterized by continuous and exemplary contributions to society through research, practice, education, or service and who exemplify the core values of the university.