Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award
Beth Herbel-Eisenmann, Ph.D.
Professor Beth Herbel-Eisenmann from the Department of Teacher Education and Director of the Program in Mathematics Education (PRIME) exemplifies all of the foundational values of this award; namely a commitment to respect and care; professionalism, ethics and integrity; and the professional and personal growth and independence of the student.
She has graduated 22 doctoral students as major advisor and served on an additional 20 dissertation guidance committees. Eleven current and past PRIME graduate students plus 8 faculty provided ample evidence of Beth’s outstanding mentoring in their nomination letters. She has a sustained commitment to cultivating independent scholars and supporting diverse career goals. Her students report they “consistently felt seen, valued and supported – not only as scholars, but as human beings navigating complex personal and professional journey”.
She regularly hosts gatherings and meetings that are referred to as “family meetings”. Beth also mentors faculty by sharing her own advising practices, including developing an “Advisor Checklist” with practices advisors can use to support their own students. She led the development of PRIME’s Guiding Principles document that places students at the center of program decisions and supported the creation of the PRIME Student Advisory Council.
Outstanding Early Career Faculty Mentor Award
Lauren Sullivan, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Lauren Sullivan from the Department of Plant Biology and the W. K. Kellogg Biological Station exemplifies all of the foundational values of this award; namely a commitment to respect and care; professionalism, ethics and integrity; and the professional and personal growth and independence of the student.
As an Assistant Professor she has directly mentored 10 graduate students, 4 postdocs, and 27 undergraduates in her own lab in addition to serving on 42 thesis committees. She serves as the faculty chair of the Ecology, Evolution and Behavior (EEB) graduate program’s DEI committee that organizes “Envision EEB”; a preview weekend for prospective graduate students from diverse backgrounds and identities that strives to relieve disparities in access to graduate education in the biological sciences.
She recently transitioned to become the Associate Director for the EEB graduate program. “Dr. Sullivan mentors with clear direction, focusing on equity, access, and holistic support.” She figures out what each mentee needs, researches the best mentoring practices and finds the resources needed to fulfill them. She has built an inclusive, empowering, and respectful mentoring environment for her lab and department.
Outstanding Doctoral Student Mentor Award
Alexander (Al) Wood
Mr. Alexander (Al) Wood is a fifth-year PhD student in the Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education (CITE) program. Al serves as a mentor within the CITE program, officially taking on a first-year PhD student mentee each year as well as serving on several graduate students’ practicum committees. He’s served on the University Student Appeals Board, including as Chair for 2 years.
His mentorship extends beyond MSU to graduate students across the nation in his roles as the Program Chair in the National Council of the Social Studies’ (NCSS) Graduate Student Forum and as the Graduate Editorial Assistant for the “Theory & Research in Social Education”. He also serves as a conference proposal reviewer for the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the College and University Faculty Assembly of NCSS (CUFA) providing graduate students with feedback on their proposals.
As a former K-12 teacher, Al’s kept in close contact with his past schools as well as mentoring undergrad Spartan teacher candidates at local schools. He mentors high-school students as a judge for the Michigan Center for Civic Education’s We the People competition and serves as an AP exam reader. “Al has made a tremendous difference in the personal and professional lives of his former high school students, his undergraduate students, and his fellow doctoral students."
Outstanding Graduate Program Community Award
School of Packaging
The School of Packaging graduate program consistently strives to model what an outstanding graduate community should be by their commitment to fostering an inclusive, supportive, and intellectually vibrant environment for its graduate students.
The Packaging Graduate Association (PGA) plays a central role in sustaining a strong community of care within the program. Graduate students serve on 4 major committees within the school and play a role in the 3+2 program with North Carolina Central University. The PGA has worked to expand the School's career fair to include graduate students and established an annual 3-minute thesis-style showcase called PackPitch.
The program recently completed a comprehensive revision to their Graduate Handbook and invested in mentoring training of faculty using the CIMER model.