Prof. Cheruvelil excelled as an English professor at St. John's University.
JAMAICA, NY, January 15, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Prof. Joseph M. Cheruvelil has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
With more than 40 years of experience to his credit, Prof. Cheruvelil is currently retired, having excelled as an English professor at St. John's University, New York, from 1966 to 2005. Prior to this appointment, he worked as a graduate fellow at the University of Mississippi between 1963 and 1966. He began his career as an educator at a number of universities in India, including Christ College in Irinjalakuda and Saint Xavier's College in Tirunelveli. Currently, Prof. Cheruvelil serves on the board of trustees at the Spartan Health Sciences University in Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia.
Before embarking on his professional path, Prof. Cheruvelil pursued an education in his native country of India, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English literature, with honors, from the University College in Thiruvananthapuram. He then obtained a scholarship and continued his graduate education at Loyola University Chicago. Prof. Cheruvelil concluded his studies at the University of Mississippi in 1966, graduating with all but his dissertation on Henry David Thoreau in English.
Beyond his responsibilities within the field, Prof. Cheruvelil found success with his written works, authoring "A Passage to America: Notes of an Adopted Son" in 2014. A 700-plus page recollection labor of love, "A Passage to America" is a social history of three generations from British subjects in India to baby boomers and millennials in America. It deals with his father as farmer in India, his own experience as an immigrant who relocated to the United States in 1960s, and his children's lives as second-generation immigrants. Prof. Cheruvelil has additionally penned various articles for Indian-themed journals and publications.
Prof. Cheruvelil has also contributed to his community as a lecturer, providing his wealth of knowledge to high school students, civic groups and immigrant groups. Notably, he has established the Professor Joseph Cheruvelil Extension Lectures at Sacred Heart College, Thevara, his Alma Mater. A former member of the Modern Language Association, he remains affiliated with various organizations in relation to his areas of expertise, including the American Association of University Professors, the Pioneer Club of Keralites, the Bharath Boat Club and the American Sargavedi, a monthly forum for literary discussions in Queens. Prof. Cheruvelil was further active as a founding member of the Kerala Samajam of Greater New York.
In light of his exceptional undertakings, Prof. Cheruvelil has accrued several accolades throughout his impressive career. In 2005, he was selected Grand Marshal for Commencement Exercises by St. John's University. He was also presented the Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching from St. John's University. Likewise, Prof. Cheruvelil was selected for multiple Certificates of Appreciation from Kerala Samajam of Greater New York, the Pioneer Club of Keralites, the Bharath Boat Club and the American Sargavedi.
Attributing his success to his exemplary work ethic, which was instilled within him by his parents, Prof. Cheruvelil was initially drawn to the field of education during his undergraduate coursework, having been motivated and encouraged by his professors. He most fondly recalls receiving letters from former students who have since become educators in their own right. Furthermore, Prof. Cheruvelil is incredibly proud to have taught adults as well, some of whom were parents of previous students.
Prof. Cheruvelil describes himself as a "Catholic in religion, Hindu in culture, conservative in politics, and eclectic in taste." He contends that the key to productive life is lifelong education. In the classroom he followed the Socratic method, challenging his students to look at life and literature from multiple angles. In retirement he is very much into astrophysics, even pushing his imagination, as he puts it "to travel faster than the speed of light from here to the farthest galaxies and beyond."
Prof. Cheruvelil identifies himself as a proud New Yorker. Despite its crowdedness, traffic jams, unceasing noise, and ever-increasing taxes, he enjoys its museums, libraries, theaters, restaurants, churches, sports arenas, parks, pedestrian lanes, and miles of water-fronts. He has walked its avenues and streets from Battery Park to Inwood Park. Nowadays his favorite haunts are the nature trails in Central Park, the scenic lanes along the Brooklyn beltway, the Skywalk on Manhattan's. West Side, and the historic Brooklyn Bridge, which was Walt Whitman's dream as he took the Brooklyn ferry to cross the East River. He will be pleased to know that lilacs still bloom in the dooryards of that borough.
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