Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Susan Kemp, Charles O. Cressey Endowed Professor, has received the 2017 Lewayne Gilchrist Doctoral Mentor Award, which recognizes faculty who have dedicated their careers to the promise and success of their students.

“Susan’s mentoring and teaching exemplify a combination of rigorous educational standards with her passionate commitment to students’ personal and professional development,” said professor Nancy Hooyman, doctoral program director, in an email announcement.  

Letters submitted by students as part of the nomination process captured key reasons for the selection. One student noted: “We have never encountered a mentor who has so actively engaged with us as a collaborator in learning.” Another wrote, “Susan has provided support to me in three principle capacities: intellectual growth, connection to other scholars and as a model of professionalism….Susan is the embodiment of an intellectual scholar and teacher.”

A third student put it more succinctly: “The academic path is a difficult one. A mentor like Dr. Kemp means having a companion along the way.”

Susan was director of the School's doctoral program before joining the University of Auckland in New Zealand as a visiting professor this spring. For the next three years, she will be on partial leave from the School.

The School’s PhD program is known not only for its academic resources, student diversity and transdisciplinary opportunities, but also its focus on mentorship, which helps to enrich the learning experience and shape a viable career path in social justice teaching, research or public service.

The mentor award is named for Lewayne Gilchrist, professor emeritus, who was known for her commitment to student mentorship and teaching. The award will be conferred in absentia on June 8 at the School’s graduation celebration.