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Dr. Nancy Lynch, center, receives the 2026 Adjunct Faculty of the Year Award from Dr. Lori Heafner, HGTC vice president for Academic Affairs, alongside students from the Physical Therapist Assistant program.
Horry-Georgetown Technical College (HGTC) has named Dr. Nancy Lynch, adjunct faculty member in the Physical Therapist Assistant program, the College’s 2026 Adjunct Faculty of the Year, recognizing an educator whose commitment to teaching extends far beyond the classroom.
Selected by the Faculty of the Year Committee, Lynch was nominated by students who consistently described an instructor who takes the time to understand how they learn, adapts her teaching to meet their needs and makes certain they know someone believes in their ability to succeed.
“Dr. Lynch represents the very best of what teaching can be,” said Dr. Melissa Batten, HGTC interim president. “Her students know she is invested not only in what they learn but also in who they are becoming. She challenges them, encourages them and helps them recognize their own potential. The impact of an educator like Dr. Lynch reaches far beyond a single course or semester. It continues through the lives of the students she teaches and, ultimately, through the patients and communities they will serve.”
Students praised Lynch for making herself available outside of scheduled class time, providing individualized instruction, offering additional laboratory practice and finding new ways to explain difficult concepts until students understand them. They also noted her ability to connect classroom instruction to the realities of the physical therapy profession, helping students understand not simply what they need to know, but why it matters.
One student shared how Lynch adjusted her teaching approach after the student struggled on an initial exam. With additional support and a different approach to the material, the student earned an A on the next exam.
That willingness to meet students where they are is a recurring theme throughout Lynch’s nominations. Students described her as compassionate, encouraging and patient, but they also emphasized her effectiveness as an educator. She uses practice quizzes when students benefit from them, provides one-on-one assistance when additional instruction is needed and makes sure students understand a concept before moving forward.
“Exceptional faculty understand that teaching is not simply the delivery of information. It is the ability to help students turn knowledge into understanding, confidence and professional competence,” said Dr. Lori Heafner, HGTC vice president for academic affairs. “Dr. Lynch exemplifies that distinction. She is attentive to her students, responsive to their needs and deeply committed to their growth. Her students’ comments make clear that they feel both supported and challenged in her classroom, and that is a powerful combination.”
For students preparing to enter a health care profession, Lynch’s influence carries particular significance. Physical Therapist Assistant students must develop the technical knowledge and clinical skills required to care for patients while also learning the communication, empathy, professionalism and judgment essential to quality patient care.
Students said Lynch models those qualities herself.
“She always leads by example and inspires us,” one student wrote.
Another described Lynch as an instructor who “wants all of her students to succeed and is willing to do anything to help.”
Others recalled Lynch meeting individually with students who needed additional explanation, offering words of encouragement during stressful exams and skills assessments, and reminding students of their strengths when they began questioning their abilities.
“Dr. Lynch is the most understanding professor you will ever have,” one student wrote. “I truly believe her calling is teaching and could not be luckier to learn from her.”
Lynch was recognized by HGTC with a surprise in-class presentation celebrating her selection as the 2026 Adjunct Faculty of the Year.
Her recognition reflects the important role adjunct faculty members play throughout HGTC, bringing knowledge, professional experience and a commitment to student success into classrooms and laboratories across the College.
For Lynch’s students, however, her impact may be measured most meaningfully in something less tangible: the moment a difficult concept finally makes sense, the confidence to try again after a disappointing grade or the reassurance of having an instructor who refuses to let a student give up on what they are capable of achieving.
That is the kind of teaching students remember long after they leave the classroom.