Three Faculty Members Honored with Inaugural Dean’s Award for Excellence as Graduate Student Mentors
The College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences has announced the first recipients of the Dean’s Awards for Excellence as a Graduate Student Mentor, a new annual award celebrating outstanding faculty mentorship in graduate programs across the sciences, social sciences, and the arts and humanities. This year’s honorees are Jessica Connelly, associate professor of psychology, Justin Kirkland, professor of politics, and Anne Garland Mahler, associate professor of Spanish, Italian & Portuguese.
The award recognizes faculty who offer sustained and exceptional mentorship, including advancing students’ research skills, helping them build professional networks, navigate challenges and prepare for successful careers after graduation. Each recipient receives a $2,000 honorarium and will be recognized at a reception in the spring semester.
A New Standard for Graduate Mentorship
The award is one of the outcomes of an A&S-wide effort to showcase the importance of effective mentorship in graduate education. Nomination letters highlighted faculty who provide consistent and meaningful guidance in research and scholarship; create supportive and professional lab and classroom environments; help students gain experience in writing, teaching and speaking; and position students for post-degree success.
Buckner W. Clay Professor of Philosophy and dean of A&S, Christa Acampora, said the award reflects the commitment to graduate excellence and the essential role mentors play in shaping the next generation of scholars.
“Graduate students play an essential role in driving ground-breaking research, engaging in creative activity, and mentoring our undergraduate students and preparing them for more advanced study. Contributions by our graduate students in the lab and the classroom also enrich and advance the work of our faculty. There are many examples of transformative relationships forged by A&S faculty with the graduate students they mentor. We are pleased to introduce these new awards to recognize the commitments and positive impacts that our faculty are having in advancing excellence across our graduate student community,” Acampora said.
Nomination materials were evaluated by a committee of faculty, staff and graduate students. Letters from current and former students provided vivid examples of mentors who were accessible, honest, encouraging and committed to helping students thrive both academically and professionally.
Honoring Three Exemplary Mentors
The inaugural recipients represent three distinct disciplines but share a record of exceptional leadership for graduate students and programs.
Anne Garland Mahler, the Arts & Humanities recipient, was praised for her leadership in reshaping the graduate curriculum in Latin American studies and for her deeply individualized mentorship. She is known for designing coursework that demystifies the “hidden curriculum” of academic training, providing extensive feedback on student writing and integrating professional development into every stage of graduate study. She was also recognized for helping graduates publish widely and secure competitive placements in a challenging academic job market.
Justin Kirkland, honored in the Social Sciences, has received consistent praise for his structured and holistic approach to mentoring. His students value his weekly advising sessions, rigorous feedback and comprehensive mentoring in teaching, research and professional preparation. Kirkland is known for fostering a collaborative “lab” environment, which is unusual in the social sciences, and during the pandemic, that community served as a crucial source of support for graduate students. He has also been highly successful helping his students launch careers in both academia and public service.
Jessica Connelly, the Sciences honoree, was recognized for her individualized and rigorously supportive mentorship style. She has guided 15 doctoral students to the completion of their degrees, tailoring her advising to each student’s strengths and aspirations while encouraging intellectual independence and ambitious research goals. In addition to mentoring within her lab, Connelly leads the NSF EXPAND professional development initiative, which broadens training opportunities for students pursuing both academic and nonacademic career paths.
Associate Dean for Graduate Education T. Brent Gunnoe noted that this year’s nominations showcased the remarkable commitment of faculty across the College and the fundamental importance of mentoring in building a thriving academic community.
“The mentorship of graduate students is teaching, education and training in its most holistic sense. Successful graduate student mentorship requires significant dedication and effort, and we are excited to begin an annual recognition of contributions across the breadth of our graduate programs through the new Dean's Awards for Excellence as a Graduate Student Mentor program,” Gunnoe said. “We received many outstanding nominations, and we could not be more pleased to honor and recognize the great work of professors Connelly, Kirkland and Mahler.”
The award will be presented annually, with the next nomination cycle opening in fall 2026.
