FSW Professor Wins National Award
May 26, 2015
May 26, 2015 – LABELLE, FLA – Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW) English professor Amanda Lehrian was recently selected as a recipient of The Chair Academy’s 2015 International Exemplary Leadership Award in recognition of her work in advancing academic and administrative leadership at FSW.
“Professor Amanda Lehrian is an exemplary leader in every way,” said Dr. Denis Wright, Vice President of Academic Affairs, FSW. “She is actively engaged in the college, serving as the Faculty Senate Executive Committee and as Chair of the English Department, and she has led a department with a myriad of strong personalities through recent changes.”
“Even through all this, she still remains fiercely committed to students and teaching English at the FSW Hendry/Glades Center,” Dr. Wright said. “Her students are rural, first-generation, and many come from families of farm workers. Professor Lehrian’s success with these students is well-documented and remarkable.”
“When I first started teaching, I never attempted to obtain positions of leadership as I worried such positions would detract from my true focus, time spent in the classroom with students,” Lehrian said. “In the early part of my career, I found myself encouraging my students to be innovative and driven, ultimately leading me to realize I needed to model the behavior. Serving in these positions within the English Department and Faculty Senate allows me to make a difference not only for my institution and colleagues but also for my students.”
The Chair Academy, a department of Mesa Community College and the Maricopa County Community College District, is dedicated to delivering exemplary leadership development. The Academy has offered world-class, competency-based, leadership development programs for college and university leaders since 1992. Leadership programs are offered at the organizational, state, regional, national, and international level.
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Florida SouthWestern State College is Southwest Florida’s largest and one of the most affordable institutions of higher education. Annually serving more than 22,000 students globally, FSW offers a variety of nationally-ranked, career-focused academic programs with two- and four-year degrees, and professional certifications. Students are also active in clubs and programs catered to their interests. FSW will debut its intercollegiate athletics program in the fall 2015. Visit www.FSW.edu for more information.
Last Updated: May 26, 2015
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