United Methodist Exemplary Teaching Award Presented to Teresa Gilliams, Ph.D.
Reading, PA (05/13/2024) — Teresa Gilliams, Ph.D., professor of English at Albright College has been named winner of the 2024 United Methodist Exemplary Teaching Award, which honors faculty who demonstrate teaching excellence, service to students, a commitment to education and significant contributions to the scholarly life of Albright College.
Over the last 20 years, Gilliams has distinguished herself in all of the areas recognized by the United Methodist Exemplary Teaching Award. Having won prestigious national and international scholarly awards, mentored student research presented at national conferences, and positively impacted students' intellectual and social-emotional growth in and outside of the classroom, she is the quintessential teacher-scholar.
Students share that Gilliams encourages them to think deeper about themselves as people and find ways to develop and grow as an individuals and intellectuals.
Gilliams earned her Ph.D. in English from Howard University where she specialized in African American literature. She has been awarded fellowships from the Ford Foundation and the Fulbright program and has received teaching awards that celebrate her student-centered practices. While her research and teaching focus broadly on 20th and 21st-century African American literature, black feminisms, African diasporic studies, oral history, transnational feminisms, and intersectional studies of race, she teaches a wide range of courses in the English Department and General Studies programs. Many of the courses she teaches take as primary issue the imperative of pursuing racial justice, confronting the enduring legacy of racism, and undoing the structural elements that sustain this legacy.
Named a top national college by Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education, Albright College, Reading, Pa., (founded 1856) is home to dedicated faculty who believe that the best academic moments are when students feel inspired and ready to take action. The college's distinctive co-major programs enable students to cross or combine different programs, without taking longer to graduate. Study alongside undergraduate students, adult learners or graduate students, and find your SPARK at Albright College.