Master of Arts
Renaissance Literature
University of York, United Kingdom (The “proper side” of the Atlantic, according to him)
Bachelor of Arts
English and Humanities
Washington College
If you take a class with Timothy Mayhill, you’d better be a quick note taker. Known for his relentless enthusiasm for literature, Mayhill speaks at a rapid-fire pace and readily admits he “cannot end class on time. Ever.”
But who’s keeping an eye on the clock when you’re diving into some of the greatest literary works ever written? Mayhill, who started teaching at AACC in 2012, leads classes in Shakespeare, British literature, world literature and John Milton. You might also find yourself in his classroom for introductory courses like English 101 and 102. His enthusiasm clearly resonates with students. He received the 2026 Teaching Excellence Award and will deliver one of this year’s commencement speeches. (We’ll make sure he wraps up on time.)
Mayhill loves showing students what their first two years of college can be like. (Ask him about his own experience as a Washington College student, where he participated in wheelbarrow jousting with “gusto.”) No matter what stage of life you’re in, you’ll feel welcome in his classroom.
“General education is a hugely democratizing force; we have shared knowledge, shared experience, shared conversation and shared texts,” he said. “An open-access institution does the work of democracy in our community, in our county, in our country.”
Mayhill is the co-convener of the Center for Liberal Arts Work (CLAW), where students, faculty and the community come together in general education courses to discuss thought-provoking questions such as, “What is power and what does it look like?” His research interests are in Early Modern poetry and drama, particularly the intersection of literature and philosophy in the works of John Milton and Willliam Shakespeare, and the Oscar Wildean approach to manners.
