Donate to the CTL Lilly Fellows Support Fund
The Lilly Teaching Fellows Program is a two-year, honorific, cohort-based opportunity for early-career, tenure-track assistant professors at UGA who show exceptional promise as teachers. Designed for scholar-educators eager to move from strong to exceptional, the program fosters growth in a community of peers and master teachers. Fellows are chosen for both their potential to elevate already meaningful teaching practices and their readiness to engage fully with that community – contributing as much as they learn while embracing feedback, experimentation, and evidence-informed pedagogy.
Goals
The goals of the CTL Lilly Teaching Fellows Program are to:
- Create structured opportunities to further develop skills associated with effective teaching;
- Build a cross-disciplinary community for idea-sharing and problem-solving;
- Pair Fellows with master teacher mentors for targeted guidance and support;
- Support Fellows in balancing teaching with research and service roles expected at a research university;
- Connect Fellows with UGA instructional policies, resources, and services;
- Enable each Fellow to design and complete an instructional project that strengthens courses or curricula in their department;
- Reinforce an instructional culture that honors dedicated teaching scholars and the synergy among teaching, research, and service;
- Promote a learning community spirit on a large campus.
Eligibility and Selection
Applicants must be in their first, second, or third year (at the time of nomination) of a tenure-track position at the University of Georgia. Selection emphasizes:
- Demonstrated passion for and commitment to teaching excellence
- Evidence of promise and upward trajectory as a teacher
- Capacity to contribute to—and benefit from—the cohort learning community
Applications are reviewed by a committee of program coordinators and former Lilly Fellows. Finalists are invited to interviews, after which the committee recommends up to ten faculty members for selection each year. Notifications are issued by the end of the spring semester.
Application Process
Applications for the Lilly Teaching Fellows program are currently CLOSED. An application deadline for the 2026-2028 Lilly Teaching Fellows cohort will be announced in early Spring 2026. Applications must be supported by a recommendation from the applicant’s department head or dean.
Activities
Year One
- Fall retreat (one day): Fellows and co-directors collaboratively set inquiry topics and a meeting cadence tailored to the cohort’s interests.
- Cohort meetings (~every 3 weeks): Highly interactive sessions with co-directors, mentors, and invited experts that surface practical strategies and evidence.
- Mentorship: Each Fellow selects a tenured UGA faculty mentor (within or outside the department) and engages with the broader mentor community throughout the year.
- Spring retreat (three day, two night): A dedicated opportunity for sustained engagement, reflection, and professional growth. Fellows and mentors engage through teaching demonstrations, guided discussions, and intentional time for small-group mentoring. Shared meals and cohort-based activities foster collegiality and cross-disciplinary exchange, while the retreat as a whole cultivates both pedagogical development and a strong sense of academic community.
Year Two
- Cohort meetings (~every 4 weeks): Highly interactive sessions with co-directors, mentors, and invited experts that surface practical strategies and evidence.
- Instructional improvement proposal: In early fall, each Fellow finalizes a proposal to enhance a course, curriculum, or teaching practice. A $2,000 stipend is available to advance the Fellow’s project and professional trajectory at UGA.
- Teaching observations: Fellows are grouped for observation of one another’s teaching, with structured report-outs during a Lilly meeting.
- Network and continuity: Fellow-Mentor relationships continue. Fellows are invited to campus-wide teaching events and to connect with Lilly alumni and mentors.
Current Fellows
2025-2027
- Doris Acheme, Communication Studies
- Bree Bang-Jensen, International Affairs, Health Policy and Management
- Elizabeth Saari Browne, Art History, Women’s and Gender Studies
- Braiden Coleman, Accounting
- Sha-Mira Covington, Textiles, Merchandising, and Interiors
- Angie Im, Agricultural and Applied Economics
- Brita Lorentzen, Anthropology
- Joseph Wei, English
- Brandon Yik, Chemistry
- Nicholas Young, Physics
2024-2026
- Mariana Lima Becker, Educational Theory and Practice
- Jeremy Davis, Philosophy
- Nicholas Eng, Advertising and Public Relations
- Alexander Fyfe, Comparative Literature
- Katie Marages, Environment and Design
- Julia Rice Mattison, English
- John Meixner, Law
- Dax Ovid, Physiology and Pharmacology
- Niyantri Ravindran, Human Development and Family Science
- Katelyn Stauffer, Political Science