Emeritus Dean Chris Hudgins, a native of Richmond, Virginia, grew up in Virginia Beach. He received his A.B. in English from Davidson College in 1968, and the M.A. and Ph.D. in English from Emory University in 1969 and in 1976. He has taught at Emory, at Old Dominion University, and, since 1976, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Hudgins served as Chairman of the Department of English from 1984 to 1993, and again from 2004-2007, moving into the Interim Dean’s position, June, 2007. He was instrumental in establishing both the Ph.D. and the Creative Writing Programs for the english department, and led the Core Curriculum Task Force a few years ago that revised UNLV’s General Education Requirements. The recipient of a number of important grants, including two NEH grants and an Eisenhower Grant, Hudgins has also been active in grants organizations. He served on the Nevada Humanities Committee from 1993-2000, chairing that state division of the NEH for the last two years.

Hudgins also served as a member of the Commission for Cultural Affairs, State of Nevada (1997-99), one of five commissioners distributing $18 million in State funding for historical preservation. He received the Governor’s Award for Service to the Humanities in 2001, and the Donald Schmiedel Award for Service to the University and Community in 2000. He received the UNLV Outstanding Department Chair award in 2006.

Hudgins’ writing and scholarship include his co-edited book, Gender and Genre: Essays on David Mamet (with Leslie Kane; St. Martins/Palgrave, 2001) and 19 articles or chapters in collections on Harold Pinter, David Mamet, Stanley Kubrick and others. He is nearing completion of a book on Pinter’s filmscripts, and serves on several editorial boards as well being a Board member for the International Institute of Modern Letters. In 2005 he was thrilled to be Pinter’s invited guest at the Nobel Laureate ceremonies in Stockholm.

Out of the office, Hudgins enjoys exploring Nevada wilderness areas, photography, and his hobby career as a 12-string guitarist and folksinger. Daughter Caitlin Hudgins, lives in Philadelphia, where she recently completed her Ph.D. in English at Temple University.