TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — A local professor has been recognized nationally by being selected for the American Society of Engineering Education Hall of Fame.

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Professor Julia M. Williams has been selected to join the Hall of Fame as part of the ASEE annual conference held next June in Portland, Oregon.

“Dr. Julia Williams has led in the field of change skills preparation for engineering and engineering technology faculty since she joined ASEE in 1996,” Kaitlin Mallouk, Ph.D., associate professor of experiential engineering education at Rowan University, wrote in a letter supporting Williams’ nomination. “Through her publications, her workshops, and curriculum design work, she has provided crucial expertise to educators so that they can cultivate the change-making skills they need to transform teaching and learning.” 

Williams has been a faculty member at RHIT since 1992, “Williams has blended her work in the classroom as an English professor with leadership roles in assessment and academic change initiatives,” an RHIT release states.

“This recognition by ASEE underscores Rose-Hulman faculty’s sustained commitment to excellence in undergraduate engineering education and their dedication to innovating and enhancing the student experience,” Rose-Hulman President Robert A. Coons said. 

Having published more than 50 journal articles and conference papers, Williams published a toolkit/guide regarding making changes in STEM education in the summer of 2023.

“As educators, we envision a better future for our students and for our colleagues. We know that changes in pedagogy can improve diversity, encouraging many more individuals to feel welcome in engineering,” Williams said. “By equipping faculty with change-maker tools, we can accelerate the rate of change that we are working toward.”

Williams has been the recipient of numerous teaching honors, including the Rose-Hulman Board of Trustees Outstanding Scholar Award (2008), the IEEE Professional Communication Society’s Alfred N. Schlesinger Award (2015), and the ASEE Liberal Education Division’s Sterling Olmsted Award (2010).

Away from the classroom, Williams served as executive director of Rose-Hulman’s Office of Institutional Research, Planning, and Assessment from 2005-2016, helping the institute become a national leader in assessing student outcomes and use of educational technology. She then served as interim dean of cross-cutting programs and emerging opportunities from 2016-2019 before returning to teaching.

RHIT news release