Columbus State University News

Livingston selected for competitive Governor’s Teaching Fellowship

June 29, 2026

A split graphic featuring a headshot of Dr. Judith Livingston, a smiling woman with long blonde hair, on the left. The right side features a dark blue background with a white torch icon and the text: "DR. JUDITH LIVINGSTON, 2026-27 Governor’s Teaching Fellow."

Dr. Judith Livingston, an associate professor in the Department of English at Columbus State University, is one of only 16 faculty members across Georgia to be named a 2026-27 Governor’s Teaching Fellow.

Governor’s Teaching Fellows come from a wide variety of Georgia’s public and private institutions and academic disciplines. They are chosen through a rigorous application and review process that requires endorsement by their institution’s president or provost and evidence of innovative teaching methods.

Livingston has been a member of the Columbus State faculty since 2011 and was recently promoted to full professor for the 2026-27 academic year. She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Davidson College, a master’s in English from North Carolina State University, and a Ph.D. in English from Louisiana State University. 

Her teaching centers on early American literature, literary theory, and academic and professional writing, while her research delves into memory and disaster in the U.S. South, service-learning and literary studies, and collaborative leadership and professional development in writing programs. Her work has been published in “College English,” “Mississippi Quarterly,” “Reflections,” and “Southern Discourse in the Center.”

In 1995, Georgia Gov. Zell Miller created the fellowship program to improve teaching in both public and private higher education across the state. The program aims to offer faculty more opportunities to develop essential teaching skills. Miller saw it as a way to meet the urgent need for faculty to adopt emerging technologies and instructional tools that are increasingly vital for effective learning today.

This year’s symposium offered an exciting opportunity to engage deeply with generative AI, both the promising possibilities it brings and the significant risks it poses for student learning and professional development,” Livingston said. “I’m returning to Columbus State with practical teaching strategies to help students build the critical thinking and technical skills needed to navigate an AI‑driven world ethically and effectively.”

“We are so proud to have Dr. Livingston represent Columbus State as part of the Governor’s Teaching Fellows program,” said Dr. Dustin Anderson, provost and chief academic officer. “Because this is one of Georgia’s most competitive teaching enhancement programs, having her work honored in this way is a powerful example of the talent found among all our faculty. There really is no better example of our faculty’s commitment to student success.”

Administered by the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia, the Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program begins with a one-week seminar for new fellows each May. This event offers faculty development sessions, collaboration opportunities and independent study options. The program also features an academic year segment, during which fellows create or revise a course through several seminars from September to April.

Visit the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education’s website for more information about the program.

Media contacts: Columbus State University: Michael Tullier, APR; Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education: Emily Chen-Bendle