Dr. Lisa Matherson retires after a decade with the College

What first began as a temporary clinical associate professorship with the College of Education for Dr. Lisa Matherson has evolved into a 10-year career filled with lifelong friendships, celebrated accomplishments, and cherished memories.

Dr. Matherson has devoted the last decade of her life to the College, to teaching and research, and to helping faculty and students move forward in their own endeavors. In June, Matherson moved forward in hers and retired after 35 years as an educator.

“For so long, being a teacher, being an educator, is who I have been,” Matherson said. “I'll never stop being an educator, and I'll never stop learning, but just knowing that it won’t be a day-to-day thing anymore – it's going to be a little bit different for me.”

Since 2013, she has continued to teach students as a clinical associate professor of secondary social science, the position she was hired for, and work with teachers in the local schools. She serves as Coordinator of Continuous Improvement for the College and Academic Curriculum Director for the Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative.

It may come as a surprise, but teaching is actually Matherson’s second career. She was previously a secretary at Shelton State Community College, which is also where she earned her associate degree in business with a concentration in information science in 1988. She served 11 years in that role at Shelton in the area of grants and financial aid. During that time, though, she realized she needed to make a change.

“I decided this is just not what I see myself doing for the rest of my career,” she said. “I've always loved learning, and I’ve always enjoyed social studies, so I looked back and thought, ‘That's what I'm going to do.’”

And she did. In 1997, Matherson went back to school to become a social studies teacher, earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees as well as her doctorate in education from The University of Alabama.

Her career in education began in 2000, teaching history at Warrior Academy in Eutaw, Ala. In 2002, she was hired at Central High School West and moved to Paul W. Bryant High School when it opened, teaching there for 11 years.

“(The College) really is everything to me. I mean, it truly is,” Matherson said. “It gave me my career, my profession … I am what I am because of the College and the mentors I’ve had here. Without Liza Wilson and Vivian Wright encouraging me, I wouldn’t have gotten my doctorate or had many of the experiences I have.”

Over the years, Matherson played a key role in several milestones in the College, one of those being a member of the assessment team that helped ensure the College’s outstanding Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) accreditation and rating.

“We can say with pride that we passed both (CAEP visits) with zero areas for improvement or stipulations, and that's a rarity,” she said. “We have such great faculty who worked together to make it all happen.”

The University becoming the first institution ever to be awarded the Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative grant is another momentous accomplishment, and though Matherson is retiring, she will remain heavily involved with the program, serving as project director for its upcoming year.

She also plans to continue teaching and being involved in the College when time allows.

“I adore my team and will miss working with them every day. More than anything, it’s going to be the people I miss,” Matherson said. “(As I retire,) I will take the enjoyment of knowing I had the honor of being here for a decade, working with the people I have, and knowing that I had some impact on helping students and faculty in the College move forward.”