Dr. Jane G. Watkins, a native of Gaffney, South Carolina, is the 2019 Excellence In Teaching award recipient for Limestone College. She has been on the Limestone faculty since 2005 and currently serves as professor of computer science. Dr. Watkins was the first-ever computer science graduate at Limestone. Her graduate degrees earned at Clemson University include a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with a specialization in computer science and an M.S. in computer science. She also earned an M.A. in teaching mathematics from Winthrop University.
With over thirty years of teaching experience, Watkins teaches a wide variety of computer science courses, ranging from introductory survey courses to the capstone project course. She develops and teaches courses in a variety of formats: traditional, online, hybrid, and evening.
Watkins’s love for Limestone College is evident in her advocacy for her students, her colleagues, and her community. A three-time recipient of the Fullerton Foundation Excellence in Teaching Award, Watkins’s students describe her as “passionate” and “energetic”, and they often thank her for helping “prepare them for the future” and for teaching them “useful, real-life skills.” Her recent committee work at Limestone includes the Online Course Quality Committee, the Global Experience Committee, and serving as chair of the Faculty Development Committee. Watkins is also an active member of the Gaffney, South Carolina chapter of Rotary International.
Dr. Karen Gainey, Limestone provost, says “Jane Watkins is the kind of faculty member every administrator admires: She sets high standards for students, she supports and encourages her students to meet those standards, she is always willing to go the extra mile for her students, colleagues, and the institution, and she is a wonderful role model for other faculty members.”