Widener Law Commonwealth’s Amanda Sholtis Honored with Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching
For nearly two decades, Professor Amanda Sholtis has been a steady and inspiring presence in Widener University Commonwealth Law School’s Legal Methods program. This year, her dedication earned her one of the university’s top honors: the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching.
“It feels like I’ve won a gold medal in teaching,” Sholtis said with a smile. “I dedicate a lot of time and effort into teaching, just like athletes do with training in their sports. This award is recognition by my colleagues, both at the law school and at the main university, that I’m doing an outstanding job. It’s wonderful to know my colleagues see how hard I work.”
Sholtis teaches first-year students in Legal Methods, a foundational course that shapes how new law students think, write, and reason like lawyers. Her approach mixes structure with empathy. Every semester, she meets individually with each student to review writing projects and talk through their progress.
“That feedback helps them grow, but it also helps me understand how they’re thinking and what I can do better as a professor,” she said. “Having small class sizes allows me to really get to know my students.”
Her creativity has also made a lasting mark on the curriculum. Instead of a traditional office memo, Sholtis designed a first-semester assignment where students write judicial opinions. The exercise is unusual in law schools but deeply practical.
“Because students spend so much time reading judicial opinions, writing one helps them understand structure, analysis, and tone,” she explained. “It connects directly to what they’ll do in practice.”
That hands-on mindset extends to her scholarship, which focuses on improving how legal writing is taught. She’s published research on the benefits of opinion-writing assignments, live critique sessions, and how digital reading is changing legal education.
Still, it’s her students’ notes and success stories that mean the most. “After students leave my classes and work in law offices, some send me cards or emails telling me about their accomplishments,” Sholtis said. “I keep every single card and email; I even have some hanging on my office wall.”
Outside the classroom, Sholtis continues to model the values she brings to her teaching. She advises the Women’s Law Caucus and maintains the Commonwealth Cupboard, the law school’s food pantry for students. Beyond the law school, she volunteers with Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and the Cumberland Valley Marching Band Boosters and facilitates a weekly support group for individuals with family members who have mental health challenges.
Sholtis said the Lindback Award feels like a shared achievement. “This honor is meaningful not just for me but for everyone who helps our students succeed, faculty, staff, and the students themselves,” she said. “I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of a program and a community that values great teaching.”
The Lindback Award recognizes Widener faculty who demonstrates exceptional dedication to teaching excellence and student growth. For Sholtis, it’s a reminder that great teaching is as much about heart as it is about skill.
