Applegate selected for 2024 Provost’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer
Senior leadership notified Applegate of her selection during a surprise classroom visit on March 26
Julia M. Applegate, a senior lecturer in the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, has been selected as a recipient of The Ohio State University’s 2024 Provost’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer.
With extensive experience in public health and LGBTQ+ advocacy, Applegate’s teaching philosophy bridges theoretical knowledge with practical application, fostering a vibrant community-engaged learning environment that encourages students to apply their knowledge to real-life challenges, noted her nominators. Recognized for her personalized approach and ability to foster collaborative opportunities, Applegate routinely goes above and beyond to support her students, providing resources and connections long after students have left her class.
“Julia Applegate is a stellar lecturer; she cares deeply for her students, community and courses,” wrote a student. “She is one of a kind, and her class is one of the most engaging and thought-provoking classes I have ever had the opportunity to take here at Ohio State.”
Applegate is dedicated to helping students connect their learning experiences at Ohio State to their personal lives and interactions. Whether in departmental courses or while teaching the university’s new General Education Bookends Launch Seminar, Applegate demonstrates her commitment to nurturing a deeper comprehension of the world and promoting personal growth.
In her nomination, Senior Director of the Bookends Program Melissa Beers highlighted the unique nature of the Launch Seminar, which focuses predominantly on skills and is discipline agnostic — requiring instructors to adapt to new teaching contexts. Applegate’s extensive teaching background and skill set significantly contributed to her success in the Bookends Program, where she actively supports her peers' and students' growth, excelling in translating theory into practice and fostering connections between ideas and actions.
“Julia teaches for lifelong impact — to help students access and develop ideas, concepts and skills that can change their view of the world and how they grow and function within it,” wrote Beers. “Her willingness to teach in the Bookends Program from our first semester also speaks to her collegiality, innovation as a teaching professional, and dedication to students.”
Applegate has taught as a lecturer in the Department of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies since 1996 — as a graduate student, lecturer and senior lecturer. She began teaching in the GE Bookends Program in 2022. As a public health professional, she is an expert in health disparities, advocacy and health equity. Applegate founded the Equitas Health Institute, where she worked on LGBTQ+ health education, research and community education. She also founded the Transforming Care Conference on LGBTQ+ and HIV Health Equity. She holds a Master of Public Health and a Master of Arts in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies from Ohio State.
“Julia is an extraordinary teacher whose pedagogy bridges the divide between theory and practice,” wrote department Chair Mytheli Sreenivas in her nomination. “Julia envisions her classroom as a community where students get to know each other and work collaboratively. Her syllabi frequently include collaborative projects and opportunities to work in small groups and learn together throughout the semester.”
"I am thrilled to congratulate Julia on this well-deserved award,” said Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Patrick Louchouarn. “Julia's contributions, both within her department and through her involvement in the GE Bookends Launch Seminar, reflect her untiring efforts to instill lifelong impact on her students.”
In the words of a student nominator: “Julia Applegate has changed my life forever. I am forever touched by her kindness and thoughtfulness as a teacher, mentor and person.”
Senior leadership notified Applegate of her selection during a surprise classroom visit on March 26. Joining the celebration were several family members, Louchouarn and Sreenivas.
Provost’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer recipients are recognized with a $5,000 honorarium made possible by the Office of Academic Affairs. Honorees are also inducted into Ohio State’s Academy of Teaching. All associated faculty, including senior lecturers and full-time lecturers on all campuses who have taught undergraduate and/or graduate/professional students in the past three years, are eligible for this award.
Applegate and other 2024 faculty award winners will be recognized on April 30 during the annual Faculty Awards Celebration.
Jay LaPrete Photography