James Wilkins Dr. James Wilkins has a contagious energy.  His enthusiasm for life and language seems to spill out through his smile, his voice and actions.  His effortless excitement for learning encourages a curiosity about almost everything.  If not careful one might accidentally slip into a thoughtful conversation about culture, literature, Scripture, travel, or anything French.  In his office Dr. Wilkins is surrounded by an impressive collection of French textbooks, novels and history books that overcrowd the curiously “decorated” office.  The space seems to be an extension of the man.  French maps, cartoons, and jigsaw puzzles (his secret passion) blanket the walls creating a familiar space that suggests you leave your stress in the hall. After a chance meeting with Dr. Carolyn Dirksen, Dr. Wilkins became interested in teaching at Lee. “When I met Carolyn Dirksen in Moscow, Russia, about ten years ago, we were teaching English together for the first class of the Russian American Christian University.  We struck up a friendship; she told me about Lee and …here I am,” said Wilkins. Raised in a Pentecostal environment, Wilkins was first drawn to Lee because of the school’s commitment to Christ.  That mission, combined with an institutional dedication to academic excellence, has kept Wilkins thoroughly engaged. “Lee is a great place and really prizes academics, which is very important to me.  I have found teaching at Lee to be a completely fascinating and satisfying experience.” When questioned about his calling to teach, Wilkins explains that it was something he felt his entire life. “I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a teacher. In fact, I can’t remember a time when I ever wanted to be anything else.”  This single-minded devotion to education is evident both in and out of the classroom.  In 2003 Dr. Wilkins won the Excellence in Teaching award, Lee’s highest faculty honor.  He also coordinates 3 separate trips to France for Lee students and faculty. So how does this outgoing professor with such an infectious passion for language and an amazing commitment to education define success? “For me,” said Wilkins, “success is simply being remembered fondly when you’re gone.” In his spare time Dr. Wilkins enjoys reading, watching foreign films, working jigsaw puzzles and, of course, traveling.  So if you have an interest in going to France, need to brush up on your French spelling, or simply want to know more about the man that is Dr. James Wilkins, stop by the first floor of the Vest Building and experience the joie de vivre for yourself.