SWU alumna honored for excellence in teaching at UGA
Paula Preusz Lemons, pictured in one of her classes, received the University System of Georgia Board of Regents Excellence in Teaching Award for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Lemons graduated from SWU with a BS in biology.
Paula Preusz Lemons received the University System of Georgia Board of Regents Excellence in Teaching Award for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
Lemons, a 1994 Southern Wesleyan University biology alumna, was one of two University of Georgia professors to be honored by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia with awards recognizing teaching excellence.
“I'm grateful to SWU for the contribution the institution made to my education and my life, but most of all I'm thankful to God and to have the chance to serve Him as a professor,” Lemons said. Lemons is associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular biology at the University of Georgia.
Lemons has become nationally-recognized as a leader in science education and has been noted by colleagues for her ability to make her classes engaging, regardless of their size. Her research, which focuses on undergraduate students’ development of problem-solving skills and conceptual understanding, has garnered more than $1 million in funding from federal and state agencies. Lemons has also received the UGA Innovative Instruction Faculty Grant twice, making possible funding to transform teaching methods in her department and for refinement of SOLVEIT, an online problem-solving tutorial. In 2010-11, she was selected as a National Academy of Sciences Education Fellow in the Life Sciences.
Since Lemons joined UGA’s faculty in 2009, she has taught introductory courses such as “Introductory Biochemistry” to hundreds of students per year. She also teaches a graduate course on teaching and has served as a mentor to students ranging from undergraduates to postdoctoral fellows.
The Regents' Teaching Excellence Awards are chosen from among institution nominees, with faculty/staff awards given in three sectors: research universities, regional and state universities and state colleges. One department/program award is given for the entire University System of Georgia. Finalists are chosen by a special regents committee composed of faculty and administrators from across the system. The Regents' Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Awards follow a similar process, with two faculty/staff awards bestowed this year regardless of sector. The winners were recognized at the University System of Georgia Foundation Gala in March.
Lemons is married to Derrick Lemons, also a 1994 Southern Wesleyan graduate. He is an assistant professor of religion at UGA.
Southern Wesleyan University is a Christ-centered, student-focused learning community devoted to transforming lives by challenging students to be dedicated scholars and servant-leaders who impact the world for Christ. For details about degree programs, go online to swu.edu.