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College of Arts and Sciences Newsroom

In Memoriam: Janis Krugh

By Dave Larsen

Janis Krugh, a professor of Spanish with 30 years of service to the University of Dayton, died May 6. She was 70.

Krugh retired from the University and received emerita status in 2017. She received the College of Arts and Sciences faculty award for outstanding service in 2007. She received recognition as a top Ohio college and university professor in Ohio Magazine's 2008 Excellence in Education program.

She is remembered for her commitment to the Department of Global Languages and Cultures, her strong record as a mentor to colleagues and students, and her efforts to internationalize the campus community.

“Dr. Krugh was an extraordinarily dedicated educator, beloved colleague, and extremely knowledgeable and gifted advisor for students and mentor for faculty,” said Francisco Peñas-Bermejo, professor of Spanish and contemporary Spanish literature, who served as department chair from 2006 to 2019. “She spent innumerable hours with students and worked collaboratively and insightfully with colleagues in our department and across the University. She was a caring and empathic voice for the needs and benefits of internationalization as well as for social justice. Dr. Krugh instilled much care for others in students and colleagues. Her passionate collaboration with the Fitz Center for Leadership in Community provided invaluable experiences for UD students to interact with many of those most vulnerable in the Dayton community.”

Krugh joined the University faculty in 1987. Her signature contribution was the creation of a Spanish service-learning course that she taught from 2005 to her retirement. She served for 23 years on the International Studies Program policy committee. During her tenure, she also served as acting director of the Center for International Programs; acting chair of the Department of Languages; and chair of the departmental tenure and promotion committee.

Her contributions to the internationalization of the University included being part of the teams that secured two Title VI grants totaling $282,060 from the U.S. Department of Education. She was joint-author for “Strengthening Latin American Studies and Spanish Language Instruction at the University of Dayton,” and joint-author and program director for “Internationalizing Undergraduate Curriculum in Business and Liberal Arts and Promoting Proficiency in Foreign Languages.”

Krugh also served as faculty mentor for Learn, Lead and Serve grants; conducted workshops for teachers of Spanish in Dayton Public Schools; provided Spanish-to-English and English-to-Spanish translation services to the campus and Dayton communities; and led student study abroad trips to Cuernavaca, Mexico.

Krugh was born Feb. 9, 1952, in Bellefontaine, Ohio. She held a bachelor’s degree from Ohio Northern University, a master’s from the University of Toledo and a doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh. She also taught at Colby College in Maine, Houghton College in New York and Bethany College in West Virginia.

She is survived by her sister, Marcia Krugh, sister-in-law Barbara Krugh, three nieces, and six great nieces and great nephews.

A May 11 memorial service was followed by burial at the Greenwood-Union Cemetery in DeGraff, Ohio. Memorial contributions may be made to: Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, 230 E. Ohio St. Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60611.

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