Professor of Biology Morgan Wilson has been presented the 2023 Libby and Hiter Harris Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award by the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC).

Wilson is among six faculty members from the VFIC consortium of schools who were recognized for their dedication to higher education and student success.

A member of the Hollins faculty since 2002, Wilson teaches courses in both the biology and environmental studies programs. Trained as a physiological ecologist, much of his research has focused on the physiology and behavior of birds. However, his field-based invertebrate zoology course, directed research with students, and an immersive field-based course in the Caribbean have led him to expand his research interests to include freshwater macroinvertebrates and the dynamics of coral reefs. His research has taken him to the edge of the Arctic, the Appalachian Mountains, the Mississippi Delta, the prairie pothole region of North Dakota, and coral reefs of the Caribbean.

The Harris family endowed awards to cite distinction in undergraduate teaching and instructional technology, and to showcase professors who are rising stars, as a way to highlight the special features of VFIC colleges and universities. The awards recognize faculty members “whose professional history reflects a strong, clear, and abiding commitment to excellence in classroom teaching within the undergraduate liberal arts and sciences.”