By Steve Esser
YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. — Dr. Jennifer Hallett, Professor of Communication Studies at Young Harris College’s Communication Studies department, has been selected as a Fellow for the 2026-2027 academic year by the UGA Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program.
Hallett is the fourth instructor from YHC to be selected for the honor since the UGA Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program began in 1995.
“We are honored to hear about Dr. Hallett’s selection, and I couldn’t think of a more deserving person for this,” said Dr. Eloise Whisenhunt. “Jennifer is an excellent example of Young Harris’s dedicated faculty.”
The Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program was established by Zell Miller, governor of Georgia from 1991 to 1999, to provide Georgia’s higher education faculty with expanded opportunities for developing important teaching skills and innovative pedagogies.
The program is offered through the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia. Full-time faculty at colleges and universities in the state of Georgia, excluding those at the University of Georgia, may apply to attend either the academic year symposium or an intensive May symposium, both of which are held on the UGA campus in Meigs Hall, home of the McBee Institute. The academic year program focuses on course design/redesign. The focus of the May symposium changes from year to year.
Next year’s program will examine “Where Generative AI Skills and Human Essential Skills Meet in Higher Ed.”
“It’s an honor to be selected to participate in the Georgia Teach Fellows Program for 2026-2027,” Hallett said. “Students need the essential skills I am tasked with teaching them, which include critical thought, empathy, and contextual knowledge undergirding communication choices. The GTF Program will give me a deeper understanding of how to use Artificial Intelligence to facilitate rather than undermine these essential human skills for my students.”
Hallett, an interpersonal communication specialist, has been teaching at YHC since 2008. She has served in a variety of roles at the College, including the Director of Academic Advising from 2020 to 2025, as well as co-Faculty Athletics Representative.
She received her bachelor’s in communication from Michigan State University and her master’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she also earned her doctorate.
To date, more than 75 different disciplines, professions, and teaching areas have been represented by the UGA Fellows and come from more than 45 institutions statewide: large and small, public and private.
About Young Harris College
Young Harris College is a private baccalaureate and master’s degree-granting institution located in the beautiful mountains of Northeast Georgia. Founded in 1886 and historically affiliated with The United Methodist Church, Young Harris College educates, inspires, and empowers students through an education that purposefully integrates the liberal arts and professional studies. The College offers 34 majors and 23 minors, ranging from biology or outdoor studies to business administration or kinesiology. Approximately 1,400 students are enrolled in its residential and Early College programs. The College is an active member of the NCAA Division II and remains a fierce competitor in the Conference Carolinas. For more information, visit yhc.edu.
