Dr. Jamie Litty has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award is one of the most prestigious honors bestowed upon faculty within the UNC System. 

For Litty, the award represents both personal validation and broader recognition for hands-on, creative disciplines like broadcasting and media production.

“It’s wonderful when alternative, nontraditional disciplines are recognized for our kind of teaching, which is a little bit outside of the box,” said Litty in a press release. She has taught everything from service-learning to study abroad to a hands-on drones course that prepared students for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification.

For more than three decades, Litty has embodied that outside-the-box approach.

Provost Diane Prusank said Litty embodies the very best of UNCP’s commitment to student-centered excellence.

“Her classroom is not simply a place of instruction; it is a place of transformation,” Prusank said in a press release. “Through innovation, mentorship and an unwavering dedication to her students’ success, she challenges them to think critically, lead confidently and pursue their goals with purpose. This recognition affirms what our campus community has long known: Dr. Litty is an extraordinary educator whose impact will be felt for generations.”

A first-generation college graduate from New Jersey, Litty was an avid reader from childhood. As a college student at NYU, she envisioned a future writing for Rolling Stone magazine or working in radio.

After working at a government cable channel, Litty pursued a professional master’s degree at Miami University, where she discovered her passion for teaching. She later earned her PhD from The Ohio State University and has now spent 34 years in higher education.

Since joining UNCP in 2001, Litty has become a cornerstone of the Mass Communication program. She has served as director of Broadcasting, adviser to the yearbook and department chair. 

Her teaching philosophy centers on active learning and collaboration.

“I don’t assume students are empty buckets that need to be filled with my wisdom,” Litty said in a press release. “They bring something to the table. I learn from them, too.”

Whether mentoring students on the sidelines of a football field with a camera or guiding them through postgame press conferences, Litty emphasizes experiential learning. Former students have gone on to earn regional and national Emmy Awards and land positions at ESPN, NBC, the Golf Channel and other national outlets. Others have found their niche in local media across the country.

Her transformative impact extends internationally. Through faculty-led study abroad programs in Ireland and England, Litty has helped students broaden their horizons — including one student who had never left North Carolina before boarding a plane for the first time. That student is now a flight attendant.

“Meeting students where they are and bringing them to where they want to be — that’s what separates a good teacher from a transformative one,” she said in a press release.

Looking ahead, Litty recently stepped in as interim associate dean for Student Success and Curriculum in the College of Arts and Sciences. Her decades of classroom and leadership experience uniquely position her to support faculty innovation and student achievement across disciplines.

Reflecting on the award, Litty views it as both an honor and an affirmation.

“It’s validation. It’s a payoff,” she said in a press release. “But you’re not in teaching for that.”