Dr. Rafael Sanchez Joins WCU Faculty
Dr. Rafael Sanchez, a native of Spain and a respected educator of the Spanish language, has joined the faculty of William Carey University as professor of Spanish.
Dr. Sanchez will provide senior faculty leadership for the new Spanish major, which launches in the 2014-2015 school year. He will also work to develop and strengthen study abroad programs in Spanish in both Spain and Latin America.
Dr. Sanchez previously taught Spanish at The University of Southern Mississippi. He began his employment with USM in January 1981 and served as chairman of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures from 1995-2004. He has also worked with USM's Office of International Programs, where he was heavily involved in creating and managing study abroad programs since 1997. He served as both director of international programs and director of the Center for International Education.
Dr. Sanchez has worked with the Mississippi Foreign Language Association in various capacities and served as president from 1998-2000. He is the developer of CATPRI (Computer Aided Total Physical Response Instruction), an interactive computer program to enhance foreign language teaching. He has also worked as director of liturgical ministries and director of Hispanic ministry at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Hattiesburg. Prior to coming to the United States, Dr. Sanchez worked as a missionary in Uganda for 12 years.
He received his Ph.D. in Spanish Language and Literature from Tulane University in 1992 and his M.A. in Liturgy at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., in 1978.