The collection documents the academic career and professional service of Dr. Brandt at South Dakota State University from the late 1970s through the mid 2010s. Materials include records of faculty governance and committee service, such as participation in the Academic Senate, College of Arts and Sciences committees, European Studies Committee, and departmental and college tenure and promotion committees. Teaching materials form a substantial portion of the collection and consist of syllabi, course outlines, assignments, schedules, and examinations for undergraduate and graduate English courses, including Shakespeare, English Renaissance literature, drama, world literature, technical communication, and interdisciplinary European Studies courses. Additional materials document conference participation, research projects, sabbaticals, academic reviews, promotions, awards and nominations, and advising roles for student organizations. The collection also contains correspondence, newsletters, offprints of scholarly articles, vitae, writings, and documentation of professional affiliations, including involvement with the Marlowe Society of America and participation in university presidential inaugurations.
This collection documents faculty teaching, governance, and scholarly activity at South Dakota State University over several decades. It supports research into the history of English studies, curriculum development, faculty service, and academic life at a public land grant university, as well as broader studies of Shakespearean and English Renaissance instruction and scholarship in the late twentieth and early twenty first centuries.