Rome, Ga. — Shorter University recognized faculty members Dr. Julie Pond and Katherine Dudley for outstanding dedication and achievement at the start of the academic year. These awards are for the 2019-2020 academic year.  

News release by Public Relations Intern A’Lexus Booker

“Each year, the faculty awards are given to professors who exemplify the principles of servant-leadership in their work with students,” said Shorter University President Dr. Don Dowless. “Both recipients, Dr. Julie Pond and Katherine Dudley, are outstanding faculty members who live out our mission of Transforming Lives through Christ. They are committed to preparing students for successful careers and to honoring Christ through all they do. We are proud to recognize these professors for their outstanding work.”

Dr. Pond, Associate Professor of English, received the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes the outstanding contributions to teaching and leadership of a senior faculty member.

Dr. Pond earned a Ph.D. from the Illinois State University, a Master of Arts from Georgia State University, and a Bachelor of Arts from University of Georgia.

At Shorter, she teaches courses in Literature for Young Readers, Literature for Middle Grades, Foundations in Children’s Literature, Adolescent Literature, Early American Literature, Late American Literature, Southern Literature, Composition I and Composition II.

Some of her selected publications include “‘The earth which had bred his bones’: Narrative Representations of Southern Identity” in Southern Studies and “The Rub between Fact and Fiction: Ideology in Lois Lenski’s Regional Maps” in Children’s Literature in Education.

She previously taught in the English Department at Illinois State University. She also was an Instructor in the English Department at Georgia State University.

Ms. Dudley, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies and an award-winning filmmaker, was presented with the 2020 Vulcan Materials Award for Teaching Excellence and Academic Leadership. The award is presented to a junior faculty member who displays strong campus leadership, creative course development, pioneering teaching methodology and instruction support along with model classroom teaching. The professor must also be helpful in advising students and illustrate a willingness to spend individual time with students in order to assist them academically.

She earned her master’s degree of Fine Arts in Film Production from Full Sail University, a master’s degree in School Administration from UNCP and a master’s degree in Trade & Industrial Education from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She also earned her bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications/TV Broadcasting.

She has several film credits in various positions and can be found on IMDb. She is the writer, director and producer of The Perfect Selfie, a short documentary that won the Bronze Telly Award. She is also the writer, director and editor of the award-winning, The Bet, which is a short comedy. She wrote and directed the feature documentary, Making a Difference, which won the G.B. Lindsey Family Audience Award at the WACA Family and Faith International Film Festival in Waco, Texas.

Founded in 1873, Shorter University is a Christ-centered, four-year liberal arts university committed to excellence in education. U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review annually include Shorter on their lists of best Southeastern Colleges. The university offers traditional bachelor’s degrees in 40 areas of study, online courses and degree programs, undergraduate programs for working adults, associate’s, and master’s programs.