February 27, 2020
Dear Graduate Students:
Last fall I announced the creation of a new Award for Excellence in Graduate Mentoring to celebrate and honor exemplary graduate mentorship in the Dietrich School.
Today, I am delighted to announce the winners of the 2020 awards:
Dr. Khirsten L. Scott, Assistant Professor of English, and
Dr. Jennifer Josten, Associate Professor of History of Art and Architecture
Please join me in congratulating Drs. Scott and Josten on their wonderful accomplishments.
The award committee appreciates and celebrates the outstanding contributions to the culture of diverse and inclusive excellence in graduate mentoring exemplified by all nominees for this year’s awards. We were privileged to read powerful testimony from graduate students about the thoughtful and effective ways in which their mentors
- tailor their mentoring styles to the experiences, needs, and aspirations of individual students
- create a supportive environment for research by fostering mutual respect and integrity, maintaining open lines of communication, and holistically supporting their students’ success and broader well-being;
- promote an inclusive and diverse environment and actively support the success of students who are underrepresented in their disciplines
- advance their students’ professional development, including by assisting with developing professional goals, connecting them with opportunities and resources, integrating them into the broader culture of the discipline, and helping them develop their professional networks within and beyond academia;
We saw wonderful examples of how innovative mentors impact students well beyond their own advisees – across their departments and indeed at the national, disciplinary level. We appreciated graduate faculty continuously investing in their own professional development as mentors. And we wish to highlight an emphasis on mentoring the next generation of mentors – as graduate faculty collaborate with their graduate students in mentoring undergraduate research experiences, engaging local communities, and promoting the success of bridge students.
On behalf also of the award committee, representing all DSAS divisions, warm thanks to all the nominating teams of students, faculty colleagues, and chairs of department.
We will be honoring the inaugural awardees, and nominees at large, at a reception following this year’s GradExpo and DSAS 3MT competition, on March 20, 2020 (details TBC). Please save the date and plan to join us then to celebrate Drs Scott and Josten along with the day’s graduate student awardees.
Best wishes,
Holger Hoock.
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Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences – University of Pittsburgh