Hollylynne Lee Wins the $250,000 Cherry Award for Great Teaching From Baylor University

Hollylynne S. Lee, Distinguished Professor of Mathematics and Statistics Education at North Carolina State University, was named as the 2022 recipient of the Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching from Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

The Cherry Award is a prestigious national teaching award with the single, largest monetary reward of $250,000 presented by a college or university to an individual for exceptional teaching. The award program is designed to honor great teachers, stimulate discussion in the academy about the value of teaching and encourage departments and institutions to recognize their own great teachers.

According to the award committee, Dr. Lee was honored for “her design and use of engaging technology tools that facilitate student learning of mathematics and statistics, as well her ability to inspire future teachers in these important fields.”

Dr. Lee said she was excited and honored upon learning she would receive the Cherry Award. “When I got the call, I cried tears of joy and did a big ‘happy dance’ with my family,” Lee said. “It is such an honor to be recognized for doing what I love and for the ideas and products that developed over my 20+ year career through so many collaborations. I feel very blessed and am grateful to my family support system, colleagues, and mentors who have made this all possible.”

The award designation includes an additional $25,000 for the department of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education at North Carolina State University. Professor Lee is expected to teach in residence at Baylor during the 2023 spring semester.

Professor Lee earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary mathematics education from Pennsylvania State University in 1991. She holds a master’s degree in secondary education-mathematics from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and her Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University of Virginia.