Dr. Debbie Murray, provost and chief academic officer at Lee University, was recently honored with the Distinguished Educator Award for Leadership during the 79th International General Assembly of the Church of God, held in Indianapolis, Indiana. She was presented the award during a special luncheon held to celebrate education and recognize award recipients.

“As a daughter of the Church of God and Lee University, to be honored by those I love so much is an incredible blessing,” said Murray. “I share this award with all my colleagues at Lee and with my family – especially my father, who inspired me to make teaching my life’s work.”

Murray joined the Lee faculty in 1980 as an assistant professor of education. She served as founding dean of the Helen DeVos College of Education, director of graduate studies in education, director of the teacher education program, and chair before being promoted to vice president for academic affairs in 2013.

In 2011, Murray was awarded the rank of Distinguished Professor of Education by the Lee University Board of Directors, one of only three Lee professors to hold the rank at that time. She has been awarded the Distinguished Educator Award from Kappa Delta Pi, the International Honor Society in Education, and is an honorary member of Phi Eta Sigma.

She is a recipient of Lee’s Excellence in Advising Award and was selected as Alumnus of the Year by Delta Zeta Tau and from the Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in 1997.

Murray holds a Doctorate in Education in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in educational psychology and a Master of Science in special education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She completed her undergraduate degree at Lee College in Mathematics Education.

In addition to her service at Lee, Murray has served as president of the Tennessee Association for Independent Colleges of Teacher Education, chair of the Southern Accreditation Council for the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities, and chair of the Chief Academic Officers Council for the Appalachian College Association. She was also inducted into the Cleveland High School Alumni Hall of Fame.

Since 1976, the Church of God has conferred the Distinguished Educator Award to recipients who have made a unique contribution to education in the Church of God around the globe. The award has evolved into two categories, faculty and leadership, and this year also included a third award for lifetime achievement.