Three faculty members were named Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professors. The professorship is the university’s highest recognition for instruction at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Meigs Professors receive a permanent salary increase of $6,000 and a one-year discretionary fund of $1,000.
Gayle Andrews is a professor in the Mary Frances Early College of Education’s Department of Educational Theory and Practice. (Photo by Peter Frey/UGA)
Gayle Andrews
Professor
Department of Educational Theory and Practice
Mary Frances Early College of Education
Gayle Andrews believes that education is a transformative force — a means of fostering critical thinking and personal growth.
To create that transformation, Andrews works to build a learning environment that is both challenging and supportive. She ensures that students are not just passive learners but active participants.
For example, in both her undergraduate and graduate courses, Andrews incorporates service-learning experiences that connect the classroom with real-world challenges in local schools. This approach encourages students to see the intersection of content and context, applying academic theories to practical, community-based problems. Additionally, she helped create the middle grades M.Ed. online program and established multiple Double Dawg pathways connected to middle grades education.
“The ripple effect of her passion, mentorship and research is profound. She continues to connect with her students in ways that rejuvenate and restore the desire to grow and learn,” one former student wrote. “Dr. Gayle Andrews is not just a remarkable teacher but also embodies the very spirit of what it means to be an educator.”
Andrews is noted for her mentorship. She has served on more than 30 doctoral student committees and advised hundreds of master’s and education specialist students.
Her research lies in middle grades pedagogy and teacher education, and she’s led nearly 100 presentations with current and former students, received several grants, and authored multiple publications. She’s also a leader in her field and was recently honored as a Legacy Circle inductee by the Association for Middle Level Education Foundation, which is its highest recognition.
Andrews has also received multiple honors at the university. She has earned the Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and served as a Lilly Teaching Fellow and as a UGA Lilly Teaching Fellowship Mentor for multiple terms. She was awarded a Senior Teaching Fellowship for the 2023-2024 academic year. Andrews is also a member of the UGA Teaching Academy and has served on the University Council.
“Dr. Andrews’ teaching epitomizes excellence in every conceivable way, and she is highly regarded by students. Dr. Andrews provides the space for students to take risks and to extend their thinking to action,” one colleague wrote. “Exceptional teachers like Dr. Andrews lead by example, motivate learning, offer choices, give freedom of expression and, most importantly, inspire minds to dream.”
Walter Schmidt is a professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Department Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. (Photo by Chamberlain Smith/UGA)
Walter Schmidt
Professor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Walter Schmidt aims to provide the highest level of professional and impactful instruction in each of his courses.
To do that, he uses approachable and comprehensible methods to teach difficult concepts, fosters a positive learning environment for every student at every academic level, and supports student success within and beyond the classroom.
One approachable method Schmidt uses to aid student learning is to preview exam questions that require independent reading and research. He fosters a positive learning environment by emailing brief notes of encouragement to students after each major assessment. He promotes student success by helping them prepare for professional tests like the MCAT and developing useful resources like a series of onboarding activities so that they become familiar with lab layouts and techniques and a research report writing guide.
“Dr. Schmidt’s commitment to his students extends beyond educating on core concepts but serves to develop his students to stand on their own and believe in their innate ability to strive for more,” one former student wrote.
Schmidt played a key role in the development of the university’s Integrated Life Sciences (ILS) program. He served as its inaugural graduate coordinator, with an initial cohort of eight to 10 students per year. Schmidt developed the basic architecture of ILS that has grown to support a cohort of over 65 students per year, 16 departments, nine institutes/centers and six colleges, along with the basic ILS curriculum. The flexibility afforded students the ability to interact with traditionally unlinked disciplines, and the integration of departments represents an early example of cross-disciplinary research at UGA.
Schmidt, who is a Georgia Cancer Coalition Scholar, has served on more than 30 graduate dissertation committees and mentored more than 70 undergraduates. He has published more than 40 peer-reviewed manuscripts and received more than $4.5 million in grant funding.
Additionally, Schmidt has received the Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentoring Faculty Award twice, as well as the First-Year Seminar Outstanding Instructor Award. He’s also received the UGA Career Center’s Student Career Success Influence Award nine times.
“Professor Schmidt’s efforts go far beyond what I am able to convey here,” one colleague wrote. “I have not found a more consistent and impactful advocate for our undergraduate and graduate programs within our department or institution at large. These efforts demonstrate exceptional innovation and impact in education at the University of Georgia.”
Maggie Snyder is a professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Hugh Hodgson School of Music. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA)
Maggie Snyder
Professor
Hugh Hodgson School of Music
Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Maggie Snyder hopes that her viola students pass their musical experiences on to others.
Her goal in teaching is to ensure her students can play fundamentals, thrive in the real world and teach themselves as they continue beyond college. She wants her students to leave her studio with the confidence and ability to become their own motivators and instructors.
To do that, Snyder regularly seeks out innovative teaching techniques. She has developed new courses that she teaches beyond her full teaching load to broaden student experience, expertise and real-life work preparedness.
As an example, Snyder developed a GradFirst Seminar that not only prepares first-semester graduate students to better engage in their research and curricular pursuits, but also prepares them for professional life with curation of their dossier of application and audition materials for the performing musician. The class also includes a unit on grant-writing to sustain their research projects beyond the classroom.
“Professor Snyder is at the forefront of innovative teaching practices and expanding the traditional musical canon,” one former student wrote. “Outside of the classroom, she continues to promote student success and ensures that every student who passes through the viola studio is prepared for a career as a performer, educator, therapist, academic and countless other fields outside of music.”
Snyder also looks for opportunities to collaborate. One example is her curation of a multi-disciplinary and multi-departmental residency of celebrated composer/violist Kenji Bunch in 2023. Funded by a mini-residency grant from the Willson Center, the five-day residency involved the Department of Dance, UGA Symphony Orchestra and the School of Music’s composition area, chamber music, and all string students.
Snyder’s work has been recognized with the Sandy Beaver Teaching Excellence Award and a Creative Research Medal.
“Professor Snyder is an inspiration to her students and colleagues and consistently goes above and beyond in her efforts to support each student and the school with her passion and zest for people, music-making and the art of teaching,” one colleague wrote. “She stands apart from and above many in her profession in her ability to both perform and teach at the highest levels, while always meeting students where they are and constantly reevaluating and creatively rethinking how she and her students will serve the art form in a changing world.”
