speaking English, the foreign accent making his voice sound almost a little musical when he speaks.

Holding numerous positions at the college must be a lot of work, but it does not seem to daunt this professor. He is chair of the French department, the director of languages for the international business program, the faculty liaison for the School of Business and the Division of Languages, the adviser of international business students with a language option, and also the adviser of the International Business Club.

Uwah has done a lot of research in many different fields, including: contemporary issues (politics, social and cultural issues), Francophone African Women in literature, the theme of disillusionment in African literature, woman and choice in African literature (on-going research), existential dimension in Calixthe Beyala's novels (on-going research), African-born immigrants in the U.S. and the story of alienation, and the paradox of acceptance and misgivings among African born-immigrants in U.S. Higher Education.

Uwah considers his expertise, however, in the philosophical literature of existentialism, and especially the sense of the absurd and the anguish of waiting. Existentialism stresses the notion that "existence precedes essence." In this realm, Uwah's focus in on African literature in French, and also Samuel Beckett, whose play "En Attendant Godot" (in English, "Waiting for Godot") is one of his favorites. Another of his favorite existentialist plays is Albert Camus' "Malentendu," and he also enjoys the works of Pirandello and Ionesco.

"What fascinates me the most about existentialism is the centrality of choice," Uwah said. Choice is a source of interest to him because of existentialism's emphasis on becoming rather than being. He says, "Becoming implies evolving, transforming ourselves, refusing to accept the ready-made or pre-conceived notions or constricting ideologies." Although a religious person, Uwah still accepts these existential ideas, such as existence precedes essence (one of the fundamental ideas of existentialism), because he believes, "We have the capacity of creating our own essence which could supercede or override the existing essence we have." To him, the idea of rather than just being, is an important underpinning of choices we make.

Another thing that is remarkable about Uwah is his conscious effort to remain, as he calls it, "supremely optimistic." Existentialism and optimism are not usually ideas one would put together, but Uwah is definitely both an existentialist and an optimist. In order to remain an optimist, he says he occasionally lapses into a "conscious refusal to 'think.'"

He continues, "The more I 'think,' the more I am compelled to reflect on the inscrutable, and the more I become aware of the injustices and incongruities of the universe. Then I'd recall Samuel Beckett's thought that the world created by God in seven days may have been created in a hurry. Therefore, I sometimes relish the convenience of not 'thinking' in order to remain supremely optimistic. I'm a very optimistic individual, but when I 'think,' pessimism sets in."

Uwah's favorite hobbies are serious reading and writing, and he also loves watching "spirited discussions" on French television (TV-5 Monde). He says he also enjoys discussing world issues, and "injustice of world order with like-minded individuals- those who can disagree with me with decency."

A student user on Ratemyprofessors.com said about Dr. Uwah, "I really loved Prof Uwah! He is such a nice person!!!! He will help you as much as you need!!! I would take him again if I could!!!"

It is nice to know that students like Dr. Uwah as much as he likes them, for he says they are what he enjoys most about his job, especially the opportunity to help them in creative ways, and make a positive impact on their minds. He also says, "In class, whenever I can, I encourage and stimulate critical thinking in my students. If thinking critically makes them happy, great! If it makes them too aware of the nuances and complexities of every day reality, then, they have to make a choice on how to handle that."

One can only hope that they choose to handle it like him, with "supreme optimism."

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