LAKELAND, Fla. (May 9, 2006) — Carmen Valdez Gauthier, associate professor of chemistry, was voted “Teacher of the Year” by the Florida Southern Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership fraternity, at the college’s annual Honors Convocation April 19. The ODK Outstanding Teaching Award is designed to recognize significant leadership in the classroom as well as on the campus at large.

“Carmen Gauthier is a role model for others. She engages students in research at every step of their way toward graduation. In many ways, she provides a graduate school experience at the undergraduate level, and students go on to prestigious graduate schools and excellent careers through her efforts,” said Susan Conner, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college.

Gauthier earned her Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of New Hampshire and joined FSC’s chemistry faculty in 1999. She has served as chair for the department of chemistry and physics as well as an elected member of the Faculty Senate. She has presented scholarly papers internationally on various aspects of her research in supermolecular chemistry and received a Flinn Scientific Foundation grant to direct a summer chemistry workshop for high school chemistry teachers. She is also the recipient of grant funding from the Community Foundation of Greater Lakeland and the Petroleum Research Fund.

Gauthier serves on the International Activities Committee and the Committee on Community Activities of the American Chemical Society, and is the chair for the Florida Section of the American Chemical Society.  She is a member of the of the International Center for Undergraduate Chemistry, the Peruvian Chemical Society, the National Science Teacher Association, Sigma Xi, Gamma Sigma Epsilon Chemistry Honors Society, Phi Eta Sigma Freshman Honor Society, and Delta Kappa Gamma Society International. Gauthier has published numerous publications in her field as well as conducting lectures and workshops internationally.

About Florida Southern College
Founded in 1885, Florida Southern College is a private, comprehensive, United Methodist college with a liberal arts core. The college maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 38 undergraduate majors and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, and nursing. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student/faculty ratio, provides strong student/faculty mentorship programs, boasts 25 NCAA Division II national championships, and is ranked by U. S. News and World Report as one of the top ten Southern Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelors and by the Princeton Review as a “Best Southeastern College.” Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is the home of the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.