Beloit hosts seven annual academic residencies that bring leaders in their respective fields to work with students and serve as the center of other themed activities. The oldest is the Lois and Willard Mackey Chair in Creative Writing, established in the late 1980s, which has brought Denise Levertov, Scott Russell Sanders, Ursula Le Guin, and other noted writers. As part of the Weissberg Program in Human Rights, Beloit hosts the Weissberg Distinguished Professor in Human Rights and Social Justice, held by a person with significant international human rights experience. Weissberg Chairs have included Palestinian activist and scholar Hanan Ashrawi and U.S. Marine Corps General Anthony Zinni. The Upton Scholar presides over Beloit's major residency program in economics, which includes the Upton Forum on the Wealth and Well-Being of Nations. The Ousley Scholar in Residence hosts a junior scholar committed to social justice work and honors Grace Ousley, Beloit's first black woman graduate. The Crom Visiting Philosopher brings an influential philosopher to Beloit each year. Two residencies host visual and performing artists: the Ginsberg Family Artist-in-Residence program and the Victor E. Ferrall, Jr. Endowed Artist-in-Residence program, the latter named for the college's ninth president.