Regent University Celebrates Fall 2026 Faculty Awards for Excellence

October 28, 2026

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (Oct. 28, 2026) — This fall, Regent University celebrates the academic virtue of its faculty with the Fall 2026 Faculty Awards for Excellence, honoring three outstanding faculty members in the areas of teaching, scholarship, and service. The awards were presented by Provost William Hathaway, Ph.D., at an Oct. 6 faculty and staff meeting on campus.

Excellence in Teaching

The recipient of the Fall 2026 Faculty Excellence Award for teaching is Patricia Lutz, Ph.D., of the College of Arts and Sciences.

In 2014, Lutz joined Regent University as an Assistant Professor and Science Lab Manager after several years of teaching and learning at Old Dominion University, and she currently serves as Chair of the Department of Science and Mathematics. A tenured Associate Professor as of 2020, Lutz continues to prepare students for careers in research, teaching, and medicine, equipping many students to tackle the competitive medical school application process.

Lutz’s teaching impact is evident through her students’ feedback and academic success. Described as a professor who has “perfected the art of teaching,” Lutz has helped students navigate practical studies through a spiritual lens, equipping them to “build a bridge between the Christian faith and science.”

Despite teaching difficult science courses, which typically receive lower student evaluation scores, Lutz maintains scores of 4.6 or higher. Under her leadership, students have gone on to excel at prestigious institutions including Jefferson Labs, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Penn State University, Virginia Tech, and New York University.

“Dr. Lutz is an outstanding teacher who, through her commitment to excellence, has had a significant impact on her students and their understanding of God and His world,” Hathaway said.

Excellence in Scholarship

The recipient of the Fall 2026 Faculty Excellence Award for scholarship is Kathleen Patterson, Ph.D., of the School of Business and Leadership. “Dr. Patterson’s scholarly leadership, global influence, and unwavering integration of faith and research have brought international distinction to Regent University,” Hathaway said.

Patterson first joined Regent as a graduate student, completing her M.A. in Organizational Leadership in Business in 2000 and her Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership in 2003. She then progressed through several ranks as a faculty member, achieving the role of Professor in 2013. A defining voice in servant leader scholarship, Patterson has shaped both the academic canon and its application worldwide through her research and publications.

Patterson’s publication record, which includes books, peer-reviewed journal articles, and invited essays, demonstrates scholarly rigor and theological depth. Her groundbreaking dissertation, Servant Leadership: A Theoretical Model (2003), consistently ranks among the top dissertations globally and remains one of the most downloaded works in ProQuest, which holds the world’s largest collection of dissertations and theses. Her research corpus has over 9,000 citations on Google Scholar, underscoring the global reach and lasting influence of her scholarship.

Patterson consistently works to cultivate environments for collaborative scholarship. For 22 years, she has hosted The School of Business & Leadership’s Annual Research Roundtables, one of the most respected annual gatherings in the discipline, and has helped coordinate several Global Servant Leadership Research Roundtables in the Netherlands, Australia, and Iceland.

Excellence in Service

The recipient of the Fall 2026 Faculty Excellence Award for service is Dorothy Hargett, Ph.D., of the Regent University Library.

Hargett has served as Assistant Librarian and Head of Public Services for the University Library since 2000. Her commitment to the university and its surrounding communities is evident in each of her outstanding roles, as she currently serves as Secretary of the Regent University Faculty Senate, a F.A.I.TH. Committee member, and a Virginia Tidewater Consortium member. Hargett has also given numerous invited presentations at national conferences, including the Innovative Users Group, the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, and the Virginia Library Association.

Hargett’s exemplary servant leadership extends beyond her professional contributions. Having taught reading skills in Norfolk’s inner-city schools for 15 years, she continues to tutor and mentor students with the Life Enrichment Center of Norfolk. In 2025, she developed and led a 10-week women’s fellowship curriculum, presented at Riverbend Women’s Ministry, and contributed to a published piece on servant leadership in academia.

“Dr. Hargett embodies faculty service in its fullest sense: steady institutional commitment, national professional leadership, and a life devoted to serving others,” Hathaway said.

Christian Leadership in Action

Together, Lutz, Patterson, and Hargett reflect the excellence, innovation, and integrity that advance Regent University’s mission of Christian Leadership to Change the World, leading students by example and ultimately glorifying God well beyond the Virginia Beach campus. To learn more about Regent University’s exceptional faculty, please visit regent.edu/faculty.

About Regent University

Founded in 1977, Regent University is America’s premier Christian university, with nearly 14,000 students studying on its 100-acre campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and online worldwide. The university offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in more than 150 areas of study, including business, communication and the arts, counseling, cybersecurity, divinity, education, government, law, leadership, nursing, healthcare, and psychology. Regent University has been ranked the No. 1 Best Online Bachelor’s Program in Virginia for 14 years in a row (U.S. News & World Report, 2026) and the No. 2 Top Military Friendly® School in the nation (Military Friendly® Schools, 2024-2025).

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