Dr. Lauri Goodling sees potential in every Perimeter College student she encounters, which motivates her to do as much as possible to ensure their success.
Goodling serves as associate dean of the Honors College, associate dean of International Initiatives and an associate professor of English at Perimeter.
The Honors College has been a passion for Goodling since she became a first-generation student attending community college. She describes herself as an “average high school student” who received a lot of motivation and opportunities from professors.
As a faculty member at Perimeter, Goodling received that same type of motivation from her mentor Dr. Jeff Portnoy, retired associate dean for the Honors College at Perimeter. Goodling recently coordinated and participated in establishing the Portnoy Fund for PC Honors Faculty Development.
“Jeff Portnoy, who was my predecessor as associate dean in honors, tapped me while serving in a faculty position and said, ‘You need to be a leader in honors’,” Goodling recalled.
“He hired me as a campus coordinator and then encouraged me to apply for the associate dean position when he announced retirement. I owe so much of my recent career advancement to his mentorship and faith in me—and I know a lot of faculty feel that way.”
In 2021, Goodling and some of her Perimeter colleagues set out to commemorate Portnoy’s 30-year legacy at the college by raising funds for an award in his name.
“Dr. Portnoy has always been one of the biggest advocates for faculty, so to honor this commitment, we wanted to name an annual prize after him to recognize outstanding honors faculty,” Goodling said.
She invites others to support the Perimeter College mission of being a gateway to higher education for others by giving not only to the Portnoy Fund, but to the Honors College general fund and Perimeter College International Initiatives.
“I’d love to have donor support for study away and study abroad programs (to make these once-in-a-lifetime experiences accessible for our students) and funding for student research and conference travel as well as educational field trips,” Goodling said.
Contact Victoria Dorsey, senior director of Development at Perimeter College, [email protected], to learn how you can support education through philanthropy.