YHC presents Vulcan Teaching Excellence Award

Young Harris College (YHC) announced Dr. Claudie Massicotte as the recipient of the Vulcan Teaching Excellence Award at its 2019 Academic Convocation. The $1,000 award is sponsored by Vulcan Materials Company. It was established in 1991 to honor outstanding professors on select member campuses of the Georgia Independent College Association.  To earn the award, faculty members must assist their institutions in nurturing an academic climate that fosters teaching excellence, and they must provide leadership to enhance the campus community. “I cannot imagine a better place than YHC to grow as an educator,” said Dr. Claudie Massicotte, who serves as assistant professor of literary theory and criticism, as well as the director of the interdisciplinary studies degree. “My students stand among the most engaged, talented and inspiring scholars I have met, and my colleagues continually pursue and share innovative teaching strategies. Their work makes YHC a unique environment for those of us wanting to foster active, inquiry-based and inclusive pedagogies. I am humbled to have received this award among such gifted and dedicated faculty members.”  Dr. Massicotte specializes in the history of psychoanalysis, literary theory and the Victorian occult. She earned her M.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of Montreal and her Ph.D. in Theory and Criticism from the University of Western Ontario. Dr. Massicotte joined the YHC faculty in 2015 after completing postdoctoral research sponsored by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada with the University of California, Los Angeles. “Dr. Massicotte embodies the ideals of teaching excellence that are a hallmark of the Young Harris College experience: innovation, inquisitiveness, erudition, compassion and integrity,” said YHC’s Provost Dr. Jason Pierce. “I cannot imagine a more fitting recipient of this year’s Vulcan Teaching Excellence Award.” Young Harris College is a private baccalaureate and master’s degree-granting institution located in the beautiful mountains of North Georgia. Founded in 1886 and historically affiliated with The United Methodist Church, Young Harris College educates, inspires and empowers students through an education that purposefully integrates the liberal arts and professional studies. The College has four academic divisions: Fine Arts; Humanities; Mathematics, Science and Technology; and Professional Studies. More than 1,400 students are enrolled in its residential and Early College programs. The College is an active member of the NCAA Division II and remains a fierce competitor in the prestigious Peach Belt Conference. For more information, visit yhc.edu.