Nolde Alexius, 2025 Lillian Bridwell-Bowles Innovative C-I Teacher Award recipient
June 02, 2025
For more than 25 years, Nolde Alexius has been inspiring LSU students to read deeply, think critically, and find their own voice through writing and speaking. As a longtime faculty member in the Department of English, Nolde blends creativity, care, and a deep love for literature into every course she teaches.
One of her most popular courses—Introduction to Fiction—uses LSU’s literary history as a foundation. Students walk the campus, explore archives at Hill Memorial Library, and study the works of writers who once sat in the same classrooms they do now. “Showing them the excellence that has been achieved in literature by people who walked the same halls… reinforces the feasibility of their meeting high expectations in our course and beyond,” Nolde says.
The course is certified as Communication-Intensive (C-I) in written and spoken communication, and students practice these skills through thoughtful writing assignments and oral presentations that build over the semester. Across 22 C-I sections taught, Nolde has developed a strong track record of high-impact teaching. Her student evaluations consistently highlight her supportive approach, her clarity, and her commitment to student success. One student shared, “She was one of the best instructors I have ever had… It is a really fun class.”
English Department Chair Sue Weinstein notes, “There is a clear pattern in student comments about Nolde’s passion for the subject she teaches, care for student learning and well-being, and thoughtful planning and support. These are, indeed, the hallmarks of a great educator.”
Nolde’s work in communication doesn’t stop in the English department. She served as a Writing Instruction Specialist for LSU’s College of Art + Design, helping architecture students strengthen their writing and communication. That experience—blending visual design with storytelling—has deeply influenced her teaching philosophy. She believes that a strong sense of place can shape strong communication and encourages students to connect personally with the subjects they explore.
“As Department Head, I have seen first-hand Ms. Alexius’s unwavering dedication to her students and her innovative approaches to teaching that embody the principles of C-I instruction,” Weinstein adds.
Nolde puts it simply: “Effective communication allows students to recognize the value of their unique voice.”
About the Lillian Bridwell-Bowles Innovative C-I Teacher Award
The Lillian Bridwell-Bowles Innovative C-I Teacher Award recognizes, inspires, and continues to support innovation in C-I course/assignment design, teaching, assessment/feedback practices,classroom management, and teaching productivity/efficiency/effectiveness. Any LSU faculty member—tenured, tenure-track, or non-tenure track, full or part-time—who has taught a certified C-I course within the past three semesters and has not previously received this award is eligible. Recipients receive a $500 award. This award is named in honor of Lillian Bridwell-Bowles, an internationally recognized scholar of communication-intensive pedagogy and the founder of LSU’s Communication across the Curriculum program.