Columbia College – 2024 SCICU Excellence In Teaching – Dr. Gretchen M. Whitman

Dr. Gretchen M. Whitman, assistant professor of teacher education, is the 2024 SCICU Excellence in Teaching Award recipient for Columbia College. Her graduate degrees include a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction and a Master of Arts in Teaching
K-12 Spanish, both awarded by Kent State University. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and History from Tulane University.

Whitman’s lifelong dedication to the education profession is clearly evidenced by her quarter-century of teaching experiences. She has taught Spanish on both the secondary school level and in higher education. Beginning with graduate school and through her current-day faculty assignments at Columbia College, Whitman’s emphasis has been on teacher education and research, ultimately preparing the next generation of excellent teachers.

Since joining the Columbia College faculty in 2022, Whitman has worked on various projects resulting in state, national, and international conference presentations, one peer reviewed publication, and one book chapter in press. She is intentional in research efforts with the explicit goal of helping current and future teachers. In her foundational teacher education courses, she offers students excellent collaboration opportunities, including mentoring students in conducting qualitative interviews, analyzing data, and presenting findings, resulting in student manuscripts in final review with the Teacher Education Journal of South Carolina. Other recent student research activities mentored by Whitman include a student-authored, collaborative manuscript entitled, “Are People of Color Accurately Represented in American History?” and an honors student project on book banning and its effects on student learning.