Gwendolyne Fondufe to Retire After Decades of Dedicated Service in Biology Education

After nearly three decades of shaping future scientists, Gwendolyne Fondufe, assistant professor in the Department of Biology at George Mason University, will retire this year. Since joining the department in 1997, Fondufe has been a cornerstone of the university’s biology program, inspiring students through her teaching, and mentorship.  

Throughout her tenure, Fondufe has taught introductory biology courses for both majors and non-majors, (BIOL 103, 104, 105, and 213) as well as BIOL 492 (Senior seminar), leaving a lasting impact on students at all levels. She also served as a member of the department’s advising team, guiding countless students through their academic journeys. During the 2009–2010 academic year, she stepped into a leadership role as interim coordinator of the introductory biology courses BIOL 103 and 104, helping shape the curriculum that serves as a foundation for many aspiring scientists.  Furthermore, through her participation in the Learning Assistant Program, she gave many motivated undergraduate students in the College of Science, the opportunity to contribute to undergraduate education, thus facilitating the learning experience by providing peer-to-peer mentoring.   

Her contributions to teaching have not gone unnoticed. Students have repeatedly recognized Fondufe through the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning’s Thank-a-Teacher program, which highlights faculty who have made a significant difference in students’ academic experiences.  Her was most recent recognition was in March 2025, a testament to her enduring impact in the classroom. Although deserving of promotions, Fondufe chose not to pursue them.

This year, one student wrote:

"In general, as long as my professors are kind, organized, and communicative I highly respect them and enjoy their classes. But I've only had a few professors that I've truly, deeply admired…you are astoundingly wonderful at teaching. Your lectures are an absolute delight, and I can't think of a single time I was bored during them, and I always left class having truly learned the topic (which is huge, because biology is not my natural niche). I hope you enjoy teaching as much as you appear to. Thank you for all your patience, kindness, and encouragement.”

Before joining George Mason, Fondufe taught at Northern Virginia Community College as an adjunct faculty member. A native of Cameroon, West Africa, she began her career working in the Ministry of Agriculture. She has collaborated with international research institutions including the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Nigeria and the Illinois Natural History Survey. Fondufe earned her PhD in Entomology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The College of Science is grateful to Fondufe for her service. Her presence will be greatly missed by colleagues and students alike.

Read what other students have said of their experience with Fondufe:

Thank you for being the most (if not one of the most) energetic, excited, and best biology professor on campus! Your teaching style and demeanor encouraged me to pay attention and your examples to concepts made it easier for me to understand the material and succeed in your course. The sapling work and access to the PowerPoints also made searching for information simple rather than going back and flipping through the textbook for the correct information. Especially with the recorded lectures as well, I must have watched them two or even three times before an exam to review the material. I wish I could personally thank you, but given the circumstances, I hope this email envelops the joy I had with taking your course. Thank you for being a professor who is dedicated to their work and helps students in any way possible to achieve, and thank you for a wonderful semester!

Thank you so much for your amazing passion, enthusiasm and commitment to teaching. I really appreciate how you made the course dynamic by actively, meaningfully adjusting the approach and coverage of content throughout the semester to pace with the development and changes in the standards and outcomes of students. In this way, it was clear that you cared about each and every student in your section and sincerely wanted us to succeed and gain from taking the course. In addition, thank you for going above and beyond to be accessible to students. I have never had a professor so flexible and considerate with their office hours, and I found my discussions with you to be very helpful in thinking and questioning about cellular biology and function! I am grateful to have had the opportunity to take the course with such a wonderful professor, and hope to take another course with you if possible.

I just wanted to thank you for doing a great job of teaching that class. I loved how every lesson was engaging and memorable. In high school, I was not that interested in biology, but in your class, there was not a single lecture that was boring or uninteresting. I really liked how each chapter could relate to current events like the obesity epidemic or cancer. Additionally, I have always struggled with biology because it seemed too overwhelming, but you definitely helped make it seem much less intimidating. In fact, the analogies you used to explain the concepts really helped me understand the material. I have never been so eager to learn more about biology!

Thank you for everything you've done during the spring semester, especially when everything at George Mason went virtual. During the semester, you helped me a lot when I kind of struggled on some things here and there. In the beginning of the semester, I was kind of struggling in this class. Sometimes I would be doing fine but other times I wouldn't have been doing fine. So, I had to go to you during office hours and it really helped. Without your help, I wouldn't have been able to pass this class at all. I will miss your class very much. If I have a chance in the future, I would like to take another class of yours. Once again thank you for a great semester. 

You were such a joy from the first class to the last- you were charismatic and so enthusiastic about Biology it made it that much more engaging. I hope you keep doing what you're doing and keep instilling that passion for Biology and science for all the students that have your class. Thank you so much.

Thank you for a great semester! This year was new and unprecedented for us all, and you have been a great help. This has been by far one of my favorite courses. I would have loved to take it in person with you if it were not for the circumstances. I appreciate all that you do for your students! Wishing you all the best.

Thank you for a wonderful and enjoyable class about cell biology. I wish I could take this course again because cells and the processes they undergo are fascinating and intriguing to learn about; especially how similar cellular processes are in mammal and plant cells. Thank you for your patience and understanding throughout the semester. I really enjoyed your class and hope to take similar courses in the future!

Thank you so much for teaching us this past semester. I've never had the opportunity to thank you. The lectures have been so helpful for me to understand these topics!