2013 Graduate School Outstanding Mentoring Awards
Dr. Marla Carlson, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Theatre and Film Studies, was recognized for her high level of engagement in graduate student mentorship and the encouraging environment she provides for the students under her supervision. As director of the Ph.D. program in theatre and performance studies, she has made nurturing the professional development of doctoral students one of her highest priorities. “She is an exceptional instructor in the classroom,” said David Saltz, department head of Theatre and Film Studies, and “has developed a number of superb new doctoral level seminars in both specialized content areas (e.g. Comedy, and Affect in performance) and Methodology (most notably a core course in Historiography).” Dr. Carlson is noted for her “tireless” efforts to help her students enter the professional world, giving them a clear understanding of the possibilities and expectations for a scholar. She encourages them to present at numerous local, national, and international conferences and colloquia and assists them in preparing journal articles and book chapters. As summarized by one of her students, “her dedication to her students’ success . . . and her expectations of excellence for herself and her students set an example to follow as a future scholar.”
Dr. Nancy R. Manley, a Professor in the Department of Genetics, leads by example in guiding students in professional as well as personal growth, setting an example of someone who is committed to maintaining a work/life balance. “Dr. Manley recognizes that graduate students are at a truly transformational period of their life, often embarking on parenting and long-term relationships while pursuing graduate education with a demanding and intense workload,” said Allen Moore, Head of the Department of Genetics. “Dr. Manley recognizes that true success in mentoring is attending to the person, not just the education.” She developed and teaches a course called “Career Options for Ph.D. Scientists,” to provide career information about academic, industrial, and non-technical careers to graduate students pursuing degrees in Genetics and other life sciences . She has coached students in public speaking, co-authored grant proposals and research publications, and assisted her students in building their own networks of colleagues and future collaborators. Dr. Manley’s students have gone on to work at top research institutes and universities including: New York Stem Cell Foundation, Harvard University, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and the Albert Einstein School of Medicine.
The Graduate School Outstanding Mentoring award encourages and rewards innovation and effectiveness in the mentoring of graduate students by faculty during their education experience. Two awards are given each year. This year the award honored faculty in the Life/Physical Sciences and the Humanities/Fine and Applied Arts.
Recipients of the award must demonstrate excellent research guidance, positive impact on students individually and as a group, and assistance in career decision-making and advancement. Recipients are nominated by students and selected by a committee of graduate faculty appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School.
