ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Winthrop University will honor English Professor Kelly Richardson ‘93, ‘95 with its top teaching award at its Dec. 17 Commencement ceremony.
A professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, Richardson is the 2022 recipient of the James Pinckney Kinard and Lee Wicker Kinard Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award was established in honor of former president James Pinckney Kinard and his wife, Lee Wicker Kinard, in 1984 by their family.
Richardson joined the Winthrop faculty in 2001 as an English instructor. The following year, she was hired as an assistant professor of English. Promoted to an associate professor in 2007 and to professor in 2018, she is currently the director of composition, a role that she also held in 2005-11. In this position, she oversees all sections of Writing 101, which is a vital part of the university’s general education core.
Beyond her longstanding commitment to student intellectual development, colleagues praise Richardson for the heroic efforts she has made over the past three years. She helped support faculty members who had to pivot suddenly to online instruction during the start of the pandemic. Then in 2020-21 she redesigned the Writing 101 courses so they could be taught in person and virtually. This eliminated the need to double the number of courses taught due to physical distancing.
She also provided training and instructional support materials to all faculty and standardized the writing course in case a faculty member became sick and someone else had to step in. During the end of fall semester 2021, she took over an instructor’s four courses after the instructor fell ill.
The many changes Richardson put in place are indicative of the high-touch, high-impact teaching practices that reflect the high priority she places on student success and support, said Takita Sumter, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Known as a consummate “teacher of teachers,” Richardson handles a variety of writing and literature courses. Her research interests include 19th Century American literature, popular culture and pedagogy.
An excellent teacher-scholar and mentor to adjunct faculty, Richardson has updated her own upper-level and graduate courses and has been flexible to pick up new courses when needed. One example is the grammar course, which all English education majors must pass. Richardson has retooled this challenging course so that its content remains relevant. She continues to adapt her approach to all of her classes so her teaching does not become rigid or routine.
Professor Peter Judge, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, commented, “Dr. Kelly Richardson quite literally pours out her life for the success of our students, whether in her own courses or as director of our writing and composition program that affects virtually every student who comes through Winthrop University. She is most deserving of the recognition the Kinard Award represents.”
The epitome of a life-long learner, Richardson received both her B.A. and M.A. from Winthrop before completing her Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2001.
It’s very fitting, said Sumter, that the first recipient of the Kinard Award under the leadership of President Edward Serna, a member of the Winthrop Class of 2002, happens to be not only an excellent teacher, but an alumna of the university.
For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at longshawj@winthrop.edu or at 803/323-2404.
