R.I.

Rochester Institute of Technology

American Sign Language & Interpreting Education
National Technical Institute for the Deaf
52 Lomb Memorial Drive
Rochester, NY 14623-5604

August 22, 2016

Tenure Track Review Committee

Gallaudet University
800 Florida Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
To Whom It May Concern,
It is with great pleasure that I am writing a letter of support for Dr. Keith Cagle who is applying for tenure
in his position in the Department of Interpretation at Gallaudet University. I am confident that Dr. Cagle
will receive many letters of support related to his tenure application. However, I would like to specifically
focus on several areas that I believe encapsulate Dr. Cagles many talents based on my experiences
working with him.
I had the honor of working with Dr. Cagle on the development of the American Sign Language (ASL)
learning outcomes for the New York States Department of Education and the ASL National Standards
through the American Council on Teaching Foreign Language (ACTFL) for a couple of years. We had
several meetings each year for a few years in order to produce the very first ever published ASL national
standards document to be used by ASL programs all over the country. In this capacity, I found Dr. Cagle
to be a very pleasant person to work with and at the same time, an intellectual man who has a deep
understanding of the ASL and Interpreting curriculum as well as current trends in the field.
Another opportunity I had to work with Dr. Cagle was when we both co-taught in the Master of Arts in
Sign Language Education (MASLED) program for two summers at Gallaudet University. We both taught
the Methods of Sign Language Teaching and Curriculum Development courses. Prior to the summer
classes in 2012 and 2013, Dr. Cagle and I would frequently work together through numerous videophone
meetings and emails in order to prepare our courses for the students. By the time MASLED students
arrived at Gallaudet, we were both well-prepared and students raved about both of our classes. I have
heard nothing but positive comments about Dr. Cagles teaching. In the fall of 2014, I was invited to
observe one of Dr. Cagles interpreting classes at Gallaudet related to structure of ASL. His teaching
approach was very impressive and he is a natural teacher. He was able to connect with students. As
department chairperson of the ASL & Interpreting Education department at Rochester Institute of
Technologys National Technical Institute for the Deaf (RIT/NTID), I frequently perform class
observations of my department faculty as well as faculty at other colleges, and I can tell you that I would

rate Dr. Cagle in the most category when it comes to teaching.

Based on my interactions with other colleagues in the field, I can assure you that Dr. Cagle is one of very
few deeply respected scholars and teachers in the field. He is a popular and frequent speaker at workshops
and conferences. Not only that, but Keith has dedicated his service to the American Sign Language
Teachers Association (ASLTA) serving on their board and monitoring the ASLTA certification system.
This is not an easy task and I applaud Dr. Cagle for his commitment to raising the bar and for his
commitment and dedication to the organization and the field. He is an excellent ambassador for the
Department of Interpretation and Gallaudet University. In sharing these experiences with you, I am
attempting to encapsulate his many attributes as a researcher, leader and teacher.
I give Dr. Keith Cagle my highest recommendation for being granted tenure at Gallaudet University.
From what I know, he richly deserves to be given tenure.
Best wishes in your process and please feel free to contact me if I may offer any further insights about Dr.
Keith Cagles many positive attributes. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Kim B. Kurz, Associate Professor

Chairperson, American Sign Language & Interpreting Education

Rochester Institute of Technologys National Technical Institute for the Deaf