COE’s William-Johnson recognized with an University Award of Excellence
Georgia Southern University recently announced the recipients for the newly redesigned Awards of Excellence. Recognizing up to 25 faculty and staff members at Georgia Southern, the awards are aligned with the University’s Strategic Pillars and Values and designed to identify and celebrate individuals that make outstanding contributions to the success of the University.
College of Education’s Meca Williams-Johnson, Ph.D., was named the faculty recipient of the University’s Collaboration Award, which recognizes and promotes those who are dedicated to service to their departments, students, faculty, other departments on campus, and/or the surrounding community through communication, innovation, integrity and inclusion.
Williams-Johnson, a professor in the Department of Curriculum, Foundations and Reading, said being recognized for this award holds great significance for her.
“The collaboration award is important and symbolic to me as it represents the relationships that are maintained through my work with others,” she explained. “For several years I have had the great fortune to receive mentorship from outstanding scholars and administrators. It has been through these networks and experiences I have established other relationships while at Georgia Southern to support students’ growth in their professional and personal development.”
A previous University Award winner, Williams-Johnson also received the Award for Excellence in Contributions to Instruction in 2016. Redesigned recognitions for the University, however, began this year centered around Georgia Southern’s strategic plan and identified pillars.
“This is an exciting time for the University as we are creating new ways to acknowledge the work of our colleagues but also devise a new direction for achieving our strategic goals,” said Williams-Johnson. “While the university award system highlights our new structure, it also recognizes critical achievements of faculty and staff members.”
A veteran professor at Georgia Southern for 14 years, Williams-Johnson says the University feels like home.
“My students are the reason why I stay, and many of my colleagues seem more like family,” she said. “I get a bit sentimental when I watch our students during graduation as well as when they reach major milestones once in their professional careers. It is also a point of pride to witness my colleagues work so hard to create needed changes within our institution and devise ways we can work together to achieve a common goal. Having had the opportunity to watch this teamwork in action while serving on a variety of committees keeps me motivated.”
Williams-Johnson is also a previous recipient of college-wide awards including: Jack Miller Award for Teaching (2015) and Jack Miller Scholarship Award (2010). In addition to her two University Excellence Awards, Williams-Johnson was also selected by the Provost to serve in the 2016 Eagle Leadership Academy.
To read Williams-Johnson’s award bio, visit: https://www.georgiasouthern.edu/gsawards/#recipients
Posted in Faculty Highlights