Dr. James Wilkins, the 2023 Rahamut Award winner, with Dr. Suzanne Holt, vice president for Student Life & Success at Lee, after receiving his award
Lee University’s Dr. James Wilkins has been named the recipient of the 2023 Janet Rahamut Award. This award is given in recognition to the faculty member that exhibits a heart for students evidenced by frequent interaction and positive involvement with them outside the classroom.
The award is named in memory of Dr. Janet Rahamut, a veteran English professor whose tragic death in 2000 shocked the campus and left a tremendous void in the collective heart of the Lee family. The award was created to honor Dr. Rahamut’s dedication to her students, in and out of the classroom.
“I am so blessed to have known Janet Rahamut. She was a great colleague and one I still talk about with others who knew her,” said Dr. Wilkins, professor of French. “Her involvement with her students is the thing I admired most about her. It is she who most fully deserves this honor. I am humbled to have received this recognition.”
Dr. Wilkins joined Lee’s faculty in 1997 and teaches all levels of courses of French language and literature. His current areas of interest focus on foreign language pedagogy and assessment, especially oral proficiency testing, including TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). He also serves as coordinator of the Semester in France study abroad program for French majors.
In addition to teaching at Lee and conducting foreign language workshops, Dr. Wilkins has conducted language proficiency interview workshops in several French-speaking nations of West Africa.
“Jim Wilkins is the epitome of everything this award represents. He has poured his heart into the French program here at Lee,” said Dr. Donna Summerlin, chairperson of the department of Language and Literature. “Wilkins goes beyond the classroom in countless ways to connect with and serve students on a one-to-one and small group basis, often hosting events, chatting with them over coffee, and teaching overload in order to provide the needed classes for our majors and minors.”
Dr. Wilkins was presented the award during a special chapel service.