Dr. Heather Quagliana, professor of psychology, has been selected as the winner of Lee University’s 2021 Excellence in Teaching Award. Lee President Dr. Mark Walker officially recognized Quagliana for this award during the university’s May Commencement.

“Teaching excellence is what Lee values most from our faculty, and Dr. Heather Quagliana has demonstrated that value at the highest level,” said Walker. “There is no one more deserving of this recognition than her.”

Quagliana, a Lee alum, joined Lee’s faculty in 2008. She currently serves as director of graduate programs in counseling where she teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses, including the new Marriage and Family Therapy PhD program. She teaches courses such as Childhood Disorders, Childhood Trauma and Play Therapy, Personality Theory, and Community Psychology.

Quagliana has a passion for research that measures teaching effectiveness in the classroom, particularly outcomes associated with faith integration and service learning. Her article in a recent volume of The Community Psychologist, “Nurturing the Student Expert in Graduate and Undergraduate Community Psychology Courses,” speaks to Quagliana’s use of service learning and international consultation to develop students as emerging experts in the field.

Quagliana’s clinical work and research focuses on children and families. Her specializations include foster care of children, childhood trauma, ADHD, and expressive therapies. She offers seminars and trainings locally and internationally on trauma-informed care for children.

“It is the biggest honor of my career to receive the Excellence in Teaching Award,” said Quagliana. “My greatest passion and calling is to teach, and I am truly humbled to receive this honor. I am living out my dream to teach at Lee University and pour back into the community that profoundly shaped me as a student.”

The Excellence Awards are the highest honors presented to Lee faculty members and recognize advising, scholarship, and teaching. The Excellence in Teaching is the oldest award and considered to be superior among the three. The winner of this award is chosen by a special committee which includes representatives of six different academic departments.