‘Passionate’ teacher, ‘charismatic’ lecturer named MC’s 2025 Pittman Young Faculty of the Year

Courtney Thompson, MC assistant professor of biological sciences and 2025 Pittman Young Faculty of the Year, said she has found her calling helping students love science as much as she does.

While she watched students in the first general microbiology class she taught at Mississippi College cross the stage to receive their diplomas during MC’s Spring Commencement, Courtney Thompson experienced a range of emotions.

The MC assistant professor of biological sciences was proud of the hard work that had brought them to this moment, but sad to think that she would no longer see them in the Hederman Science Building.

“That group will always hold a special place in my heart,” Thompson said. “That’s what MC is about: making meaningful connections and a positive impact that will last a lifetime.”

In just two short years, Thompson has had an incredible impact on the lives of the MC students she teaches. Her enthusiastic approach to her profession and her faithful service to the institution has been noticed by her peers, who named Thompson MC’s 2025 Pittman Young Faculty of the Year.

“Dr. Thompson is a charismatic and dynamic lecturer,” said her colleague and mentor, Dr. Jerry W. Reagan Jr., MC professor of biological sciences. “Her teaching style engages students and challenges them to embrace the material and the learning process. She is committed to excellence, both in the classroom and as an advisor. Students seek her out and trust her advice.”

The Pittman Young Faculty of the Year Award honors professors no older than 35 who demonstrate strong Christian values, possess a doctorate and are recognized by their peers for their accomplishments and potential as a teacher. Nominees must have taught for at least two, but no more than five years at MC.

The award is named as a tribute to the deep commitment MC alums George and Alicia Pittman had for the Baptist-affiliated university. George Pittman was a former longtime chair of the MC English Department; the Pittmans served as founders of the annual Shakespeare Festival at MC and a conference room in Jennings Hall is named in their honor.

“It is such an honor to receive this award,” Thompson said. “My mother always instilled in me that whatever I do in life, I do it passionately, wholeheartedly and well. I’m so grateful to be recognized university-wide, and I’m grateful that God brought me ‘home’ to MC.”

Teaching was not Thompson’s goal when she received her B.S. in biology and psychology with a perfect 4.0 GPA from William Carey University: medicine was. Accepted into William Carey’s D.O. Program, she studied medicine for almost a year when, tragically, her family home burned down.

“I had a terrible time staying focused when my family was in shambles,” Thompson said. Unsure of what to do next, she received an offer to teach upper-level science courses at her old high school, Prentiss Christian School.

“I fell in love with teaching,” she said. “I felt like I had a purpose, and my goal was to make students love science as much as I do.”

She continued to teach and served as an adjunct professor in the Nursing Microbiology Lab at MC while she obtained her Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She joined MC’s faculty in 2023 and teaches Nursing Microbiology and General Microbiology; her area of expertise is bacteriology.

“Dr. Courtney Thompson has been a wonderful addition to the Biology Department and MC,” said Beth Barlow, MC professor and chair of biological sciences. “She is an amazing teacher and mentor and is passionate for her students and advisees.”

Thompson said she bases her success as a professor on her students’ success.

“I find great joy in making a positive contribution to society by helping my students understand the world around them,” she said. “I feel accomplished when I see the growth in the people that I’ve helped lead,” she said. “I feel so much pride when one of my students gets accepted into their professional school of choice. When they don’t, I still feel proud of their resilient nature and ‘try again’ mentality. Watching them become more confident people and effective leaders is so rewarding.”

An active member of the American Society of Microbiology and the Mississippi Academy of Sciences, Thompson has given presentations at scientific meetings nationally and has coauthored a pair of articles published in professional journals. A member of the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society, she received the Higher Education Appreciate Day-Working for Academic Excellence Award.

“At MC, I get to openly discuss my Christianity with my students,” Thompson said. “I get to be the Hands and Feet of Jesus. When I look back on how I got here and I see how perfectly everything fell into place, I have no doubt that God prepared this path in advance just for me.”