Converse’s Stefania Licata Recognized for Excellence in Teaching
Written by Karen Rhodes
The South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (SCICU) has recognized Converse University Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies Dr. Stefania Licata as one of 20 exceptional faculty members from its member institutions for 2026.
SCICU’s annual Excellence in Teaching Awards Dinner celebrates professors whose dedication to student learning, mentorship, and innovative teaching continues to make a lasting impact on campuses across South Carolina. Each recipient receives a $3,000 professional development grant in recognition of their commitment to undergraduate education.
“Dr. Licata’s passion for her students, her scholarship, and the study of language and culture is evident in everything she does.”
Provost Will Case
“Dr. Licata’s passion for her students, her scholarship, and the study of language and culture is evident in everything she does,” said Provost and Vice President for Student Success Dr. Will Case. “We are incredibly fortunate to have her at Converse, and she is very deserving of this recognition.”
In addition to serving as Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies at Converse, Dr. Licata is the founder and director of the Spanish Writing and Language Center. She has taught a wide range of courses in Spanish language, literature, culture, film, and media, including specialized courses on contemporary migration from Africa to Spain. Her teaching spans face-to-face, synchronous, and asynchronous modalities, demonstrating both pedagogical versatility and sustained excellence. She has also taught in the Nisbet Honors Program and led senior seminars for Hispanic Studies majors.
“Dr. Licata is the founder and director of the Spanish Writing and Language Center.”
Her research examines migration and the cultural representations of Africa in Europe—and Europe in Africa—across the 20th and 21st centuries. Grounded in an interdisciplinary and comparative methodology, her scholarship advances Afro-Hispanic postcolonial studies, migration and diaspora studies, and Mediterranean studies. Through numerous publications on postcolonial Equatorial Guinea, Afro-Spanish identities, migration in the Mediterranean, and related topics, she has contributed nuanced analyses that illuminate cultural exchange, displacement, and transnational identities.
As the faculty advisor for the Hispanic Organization for Latinx Awareness (HOLA) since 2023, she mentors students and promotes leadership within the campus community. In April 2024, she earned the The Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) Teaching Excellence Certificate in “Fostering a Culture of Belonging,” further strengthening her dedication to inclusive pedagogy. She extends this commitment through active service on the Committee on Belonging.