Award for Outstanding Contributions to Graduate and Professional Education
Since 1998-1999, the University of Minnesota has recognized a select group of faculty members for their outstanding contributions to graduate and/or professional education. This honor is awarded annually to exceptional candidates nominated by their colleges in their quest to identify excellence in graduate and/or professional education. In addition to honoring individual faculty members, the award contributes to the improvement of graduate and professional education at the University by publicizing their work to serve as resources to the whole faculty.
The award is made possible through generous support of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association and the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost.
Look here for more information about the Graduate-Professional Award.
Congratulations to the 2018 Award Recipients
Victor H. Barocas
Professor Barocas has spent that last 17 years contributing to graduate education at UMN through his role as a classroom teacher, a mentor for M.S. and Ph.D. students, the Director of Graduate Studies for Biomedical Engineering, and a member of the Graduate Education Councils for the College of Science and Engineering and for the University. He is a strong advocate for students and a promoter of student opportunity and diversity.
Biomedical Engineering
College of Science & EngineeringBradley G. Clary
In his thirty-six years of teaching here (including eighteen years of full time teaching), Professor Clary has directed and developed the Law School’s legal writing, appellate advocacy, and trial practice programs. He has educated thousands of students, authored or co-authored five different teaching texts, and served the University, the State of Minnesota, and the national legal community in multiple ways. Teachers don’t come any better.
Law SchoolE. Dan Dahlberg
Professor Dahlberg has mentored over 25 PhD graduates since joining the faculty of the University of Minnesota. These physicists have gone on to careers in academia as well as a wide spectrum of industrial environments, including their own companies. This success has been enabled by Professor Dahlberg’s unique advising style, which is based on establishing an intellectual partnership with his graduate students while developing a full portfolio of technical and communication skills.
School of Physics and Astronomy
College of Science & EngineeringBarbara E. Martinson
Design, Housing, and Apparel
College of DesignBarbara Martinson is a Professor of graphic Design and the Director of Graduate Studies for the Design Graduate Program. She has been instrumental in developing graduate degree plans for the MFA and Ph.D. degrees. She works with her graduate students on issues of visual communication for safety, health, and well-being. Teaching and designing pedagogy are her primary research areas.
Chris Paola
Professor Paola is an innovative teacher and researcher who has mentored many graduate students to success, prioritized excellence in graduate education through leadership of research centers, co-created a unique graduate course in stream restoration, and established an international faculty-graduate student exchange program. He shares his most promising ideas with students, emphasizing cooperation and high ethical standards. He encourages risk-taking, learning from failure, and looking foolish in the service of curiosity, improvisational thought, and creative inquiry.
Earth Sciences
College of Science & EngineeringRobert E. Porter
Professor Porter is a beloved teacher who inspires students through infectious enthusiasm and creative approaches. He fearlessly explores new techniques and technology to the great benefit of learners. He is an award winning course coordinator who has led a diverse faculty team to outstanding results. He shares his expertise in poultry pathology through the formation of collaborative partnerships to benefit learners in the state and region. He leads through his scholarly approach.
Veterinary Population Medicine
College of Veterinary MedicineAlexander J. Rothman
Psychology
College of Liberal ArtsProfessor Rothman has demonstrated dedication to graduate education through mentorship, teaching and program development. Through his approach to graduate training he provides students with the skills and inspiration to design and pursue lines of work that have an impact on their discipline as well as on practice and policy. As Associate Dean for Graduate Education, he established innovative programs and policies to support graduate programs across CLA and secured increased resources to support graduate students.
Barbara Young Welke
In her twenty years at the University of Minnesota, graduate and professional teaching, advising, and mentoring have been central to Professor Welke’s mission. Through the Program in Law and History, leadership of the Hurst Institute, and other initiatives, she has made the University of Minnesota a premier institution for the training of legal historians, and as Director of Graduate Studies she made programmatic changes that left a lasting positive legacy for History Ph.D. students.
History and Law
College of Liberal Arts and Law School
2017 Award Recipients
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Eray S. Aydil
Chemical Engineering & Materials Science
College of Science & EngineeringEray Aydil demonstrates exceptional graduate instruction and mentorship, which he achieves by combining his natural pedagogical gifts, personal and professional humility, ethical code, and penetrating sincerity. He inspires, empowers and motivates the PhD students in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science.
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Jim Boulger
Biobehavioral Health & Population Sciences, Medical School
University of Minnesota DuluthJim Boulger’s impact on the medical students of the University of Minnesota Medical School Duluth campus is legendary. His contributions as a teacher and mentor span five decades and have significantly influenced rural medical education and positively impacted the health of Minnesota’s rural citizens. Throughout his long career, Jim’s energetic engagement with medical students and the curriculum have reinforced the expectation that our students will ultimately serve rural or Native American communities.
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Mark L. Davison
Educational Psychology
College of Science & EngineeringProfessor Davison’s accomplishments include authorship of the first Graduate Student Handbook for the then new Department of Educational Psychology, creation of two endowed student assistantships, a $5,000,000 federally funded pre-doctoral training program, mentorship of students in a K-12 educational accountability center, and an online research symposium for faculty and graduate students involving five universities (Universities of Alberta, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, and Nebraska). Students with whom he has worked have taken eminent positions throughout the world.
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Susan Goodwin Gerberich
Environmental Health Sciences
School of Public HealthSusan Gerberich is the Leon S. Robertson Professor of Injury Prevention, Mayo Professor of Public Health, and Director of the Midwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety Education and Research Center in the School of Public Health. She is an internationally recognized injury epidemiologist who developed and continues to lead a successful graduate academic research program. She has mentored dozens of graduate students, conducted extensive student-involved research, and demonstrated graduate teaching excellence.
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Kathleen Krichbaum
Population Health Systems
School of NursingKathleen Krichbaum is a master teacher, mentor and scholar who has had a transformational influence on her students and on nursing education. She has developed curricula; designed methods for evaluating program quality and for assessing clinical competencies used by her students and peers, as well as by schools of nursing throughout the country. She is a recognized thought leader who infuses creativity and innovation into designing strategies to improve how nurses teach and practice.
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Kathryn Reyerson
History
College of Liberal ArtsKathryn Reyerson is an outstanding teacher and stellar mentor who has helped shape the research agendas and professional careers of large numbers of graduate students. She has been a pivotal figure in the graduate program in medieval and early modern history, especially because of her critical work in developing the Center for Medieval Studies at the University of Minnesota.
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Katherine West Scheil
English
College of Liberal ArtsKatherine West Scheil teaches innovative graduate courses to bring students into active conversation with the most urgent, cutting-edge topics in the Humanities. As Director of Graduate Studies in English for five years, she spearheaded new initiatives to enhance teaching;, significantly increased resources for student research support, and launched a program of professional development. Her awareness of the challenges and pleasures of graduate education motivates her to inspire students by teaching, mentoring, and empowering them to grow and excel in their intellectual pursuits.
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Jeffry A. Simpson
Psychology
College of Liberal ArtsJeffry A. Simpson is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Doctoral Minor in Interpersonal Relationships (IREL) at the University of Minnesota. He has been actively involved in the development and running of several graduate education programs as well as the training of numerous graduate students over the past 30 years. His research interests focus on relationships, evolution and social behavior, and social development across the lifespan.
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Margaret A. Titus
Genetics, Cell Biology & Development
Medical SchoolMeg Titus is an internationally recognized scholar widely known for her research excellence in the cell biology of the cytoskeleton. She excels in teaching the fundamentals of cell biology and the art of lucid scientific presentation. Her love of science is infectious, and she is admired for her generosity and passion in the training of undergraduates, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows, both within and outside her laboratory at the University of Minnesota.
2016 Award Recipients
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Bryce A. Binstadt
Pediatrics
Medical SchoolA physician-scientist, Bryce Binstadt is a leading researcher and practitioner in the field of pediatric rheumatology. He excels in teaching across the span of his expertise, from basic immunology to the science and art of clinical medicine. He is also the founder of the department’s Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship program. By combining his care of patients with work in his NIH-funded laboratory, Binstadt nurtures the careers of numerous graduate and medical students, postdoctoral trainees, and clinical fellows at the University of Minnesota and across the nation. See a full profile (pdf).
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Ann M. Burkhart
Law SchoolAs a nationally recognized expert in real estate law, Ann Burkhart has taught more than 5,000 students with rigor, passion, and care. She requires students to dig deeply into the course materials and to focus on the larger context. The students are inspired by her passion for the law and for their progress, and they benefit from her generous mentoring. According to a former student, she inspires learners to “look beyond technical and legal analysis and think deeply about what is practical and equitable.” See a full profile (pdf).
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Mary L. Chesney
School of NursingMary Chesney influences students by designing exquisite learning environments in the classroom, online, and in the community, and providing real-world “stretch” experiences. She served from 2010 to 2015 as director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, where her leadership and administrative skills are credited with driving the program’s growth and national prominence. The program is now the largest campus-based/online hybrid program in the country. Though a high-profile professional in her field, her availability to students is a remarkable constant. See a full profile (pdf).
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Maria L. Gini
Computer Science and Engineering
College of Science and EngineeringAs a teacher and adviser, Maria Gini instills students with the excitement of advancing the state of the art in computing in general and in artificial intelligence in particular. Her new students are often surprised to discover that she employs a pair of small, fully automated robots in her classroom as exemplars of state-of-the-art robotic devices. Gini’s combination of imagination and dedication to her field has earned her an international reputation in robotics and artificial intelligence, as well as a number of honors for her teaching, including the Morse-Alumni Award in 1987. See a full profile (pdf).
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Kristine P. Krafts
Diagnostic and Biological Sciences
School of DentistryKristine Krafts has perfected the art of teaching complex medical concepts with simplicity, grace, and humor. She teaches and directs the General Histology and Pathology courses at the Dental School, and the Hormonal Medicine and Hematology courses at the Duluth Campus of the Medical School. Her lectures are exciting, energetic, and entertaining. On the website she developed, pathologystudent.com, Krafts covers basic information, questions and answers, clinical cases, and unique tips for learning pathology that are illustrated clearly. Through it she not only motivates her students and facilitates learning, but reaches out to pathology students worldwide to help them learn pathology in a friendly, interactive environment. See a full profile (pdf).
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Deniz S. Ones
Psychology
College of Liberal ArtsDeniz Ones is a gifted teacher and mentor, whose students benefit greatly from her collegial style of research leadership. As one of the most influential scholars in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, she embraces a collaborative mentorship style that has resulted in numerous impactful publications co-authored by her mentees. Her advisees have won every award that the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology offers to graduate students. She is considered by colleagues as one of the main reasons why, though small, the Industrial and Organizational Psychology program consistently ranks first of 54 such programs in the nation. Ones was named a Distinguished McKnight University Professor in 2011. See a full profile (pdf).
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Joe Soss
Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public AffairsJoe Soss is an internationally acclaimed scholar of politics and society with a focus on power, public policy, inequality, and inequity. Soss has worked to open the Humphrey Institute’s educational environment to diverse theoretical and political perspectives, research methodologies, and pedagogies and, thus, to diverse students. Students describe him as willing to confront hard questions that need to be asked to improve society. He is noted for his commitment to graduate education for students in the professional master’s degree programs at the Humphrey School, as well as doctoral programs across three departments (Humphrey School, Political Science and Sociology). See a full profile (pdf).
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Randall H. Victora
Electrical and Computer Engineering
College of Science and EngineeringWith a focus on applications of physics to improve devices, Randall Victora had an extensive career in industry before switching to academics. As a faculty member in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, and as director of the Minnesota Micromagnetics and Information Technology Center, he has revitalized the University’s program in magnetics while mentoring graduate students who now lead magnetics research programs across the nation and abroad. As director of graduate studies, Victora enhanced the visibility and competitiveness of graduates with innovations like customized graduate training, which raised the profile of the department and helped launch the careers of many micromagnetics professionals. See a full profile (pdf).
Previous Award Recipients
Awardee |
Department |
Year |
Lydia Artymiw | Music |
2015 |
Philippe Buhlmann | Chemistry |
2015 |
John P. Campbell | Psychology |
2015 |
Paul W. Glewwe | Applied Economics |
2015 |
David L. Kohlstedt | Earth Sciences |
2015 |
Shashi Shekhar | Computer Science and Engineering |
2015 |
Diane J. Tedick | Curriculum and Instruction |
2015 |
Ezgi Tiryaki | Neurology |
2015 |
Sharon S. Allen | Family Medicine and Community Health |
2014 |
Dale Carpenter | Law School |
2014 |
Jay Coggins | Applied Economics |
2014 |
Jigna Desai | Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies |
2014 |
Marc A. Hillmyer | Chemistry |
2014 |
Sarah E. Hobbie | Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior |
2014 |
Ned Mohan | Electrical and Computer Engineering |
2014 |
Kevin D. Wickman | Pharmacology |
2014 |
Jerry Cohen | Horticultural Science |
2013 |
Ronald Hadsall | Pharmaceutical Care and Health |
2013 |
Karen Ho | Anthropology |
2013 |
Kevin Murphy | History |
2013 |
Michael Osterholm | Environmental Health Sciences |
2013 |
Keshab Parhi | Electrical & Computer Engineering |
2013 |
Lisa Schimmenti | Pediatrics |
2013 |
Robert Washabau | Veterinary Clinical Sciences |
2013 |
Allen M. Goldman | Physics and Astronomy |
2012 |
Kim K. P. Johnson | Design, Housing, and Apparel |
2012 |
Bonnie LeRoy | Genetics, Cell Biology and Development |
2012 |
Timothy P. Lodge | Chemistry, Chemical Engineering |
2012 |
Jennifer L. Pierce | American Studies |
2012 |
David Power | Family Medicine and Community Health |
2012 |
Yoji Shimizu | Laboratory Medicine and Pathology |
2012 |
Traci L. Toomey | Epidemiology and Community Health |
2012 |
Melissa D. Avery | Nursing |
2011 |
Janet M. Dubinsky | Neuroscience |
2011 |
Edward G. Goetz | Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs |
2011 |
Ralph W. Holzenthal | Entomology |
2011 |
Anatoly Liberman | German, Scandinavian and Dutch |
2011 |
Raymond M. Newman | Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology |
2011 |
Margaret V. Root Kustritz | Veterinary Clinical Sciences |
2011 |
Ann E. Van Heest | Orthopaedic Surgery |
2011 |
Linda Bearinger |
Nursing |
2010 |
Alvin J. Beitz | Veterinary & Biomedical Sciences |
2010 |
Kang Ling James | Mathematics & Statistics, UMD |
2010 |
Ruth Karras | History |
2010 |
Joseph Konstan | Computer Science & Engineering |
2010 |
Rory Remmel | Medicinal Chemistry |
2010 |
J. Ilja Siepmann | Chemistry |
2010 |
Robert Sorenson | Genetics, Cell Biology & Development |
2010 |
Sally J. Kenney | Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs |
2009 |
Jean A. King |
Educational Policy & Administration |
2009 |
Josephine Lee |
English Language & Literature |
2009 |
Helga Leitner |
Geography |
2009 |
Michael C. Rodriguez |
Educational Psychology |
2009 |
Terry L. Roe |
Applied Economics |
2009 |
Jon C. Schommer |
Pharmaceutical Care & Health Systems |
2009 |
Jennifer York-Barr | Educational Policy & Administration |
2009 |
Massoud Amin |
Electrical and Computer Engineering |
2008 |
Richard C. Brundage |
Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology |
2008 |
Cesare Casarino |
Cultural Studies & Comparative Literature |
2008 |
Douglas N. Foster |
Animal Science |
2008 |
John R. Freeman |
Political Science |
2008 |
Stephen A. Katz |
Integrative Biology and Physiology |
2008 |
John Matheson |
Law School |
2008 |
Melissa Middleton Stone | Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs |
2008 |
Maria Damon |
English |
2007 |
John W. Day |
Neurology & Pediatrics |
2007 |
Ruth A. Lindquist |
Nursing |
2007 |
Thomas W. Molitor |
Veterinary Population Medicine |
2007 |
Bruce F. Wollenberg | Electrical & Computer Engineering |
2007 |
Dennis Falk |
Social Work, UMD |
2006 |
Joan Garfield |
Educational Psychology |
2006 |
Wendy Hellerstedt |
Epidemiology |
2006 |
Richard Leppert |
Cultural Studies & Comparative Literature |
2006 |
Deborah Levison |
Public Affairs |
2006 |
Jean O'Brien |
History |
2006 |
Michel Sanders | Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, & Biophysics |
2006 |
Ragui Assaad |
Public Affairs |
2005 |
Christopher J. Cramer |
Chemistry |
2005 |
Timothy J. Ebner |
Neuroscience |
2005 |
Alex J. Lubet |
Music |
2005 |
Carl A. Osborne |
Veterinary Clinical Sciences |
2005 |
Mary Margaret Rowan |
Nursing |
2005 |
Raj G. Suryanarayanan |
Pharmaceutics |
2005 |
Gregory M. Vercellotti | Medicine |
2005 |
Kristin E. Anderson |
Epidemiology |
2004 |
James R. Carey |
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation/PT |
2004 |
Susan M. Galatowitsch |
Horticultural Science |
2004 |
Glenn Giesler |
Neuroscience |
2004 |
Mats Heimdahl |
Computer Science & Engineering |
2004 |
Cynthia Peden-McAlpine |
Nursing |
2004 |
Kathryn A. Sikkink |
Political Science |
2004 |
Madelon Sprengnether | English |
2004 |
Francesca J. Cuthbert |
Fisheries & Wildlife |
2003 |
Sara M. Evans |
History |
2003 |
Ilene Harris |
Medical School: Educational Development & Research |
2003 |
Marc Jenkins |
Microbiology |
2003 |
Frances Lawrenz |
Educational Psychology |
2003 |
John Mowitt |
Cultural Studies & Comparative Literature |
2003 |
Christian Teyssier |
Geology & Geophysics |
2003 |
Donald L. Uden | Pharmacy |
2003 |
Peter W. Carr |
Chemistry |
2002 |
Hazel Dicken-Garcia |
Journalism & Mass Communication |
2002 |
David W. Hayden |
Veterinary Diagnostic Medicine |
2002 |
Paul A. Iaizzo |
Surgery |
2002 |
Mary Jo Maynes |
History |
2002 |
James T. Pacala |
Family Practice & Community Health |
2002 |
Anthony M. Starfield |
Ecology, Evolution & Behavior |
2002 |
John L. Sullivan | Political Science |
2002 |
Ronald R. Aminzade |
Sociology |
2001 |
Kenneth Brooks |
Forest Resources |
2001 |
Edward M. Griffin |
English |
2001 |
Chap T. Le |
Biostatistics |
2001 |
Larry L. McKay |
Food Science & Nutrition |
2001 |
Patrick M. Schlievert |
Microbiology |
2001 |
Heinz G. Stefan |
Civil Engineering |
2001 |
Kathleen Watson | Medicine |
2001 |
Raymond D. Duvall |
Political Science
|
2000 |
Harold D. Grotevant |
Family Social Science |
2000 |
Wesley James Miller |
Medicine |
2000 |
Lawrence Que, Jr. |
Chemistry |
2000 |
Nelson L. Rhodus |
Diagnotic & Surgical Science |
2000 |
Elaine Tarone |
Linguistics, ESL, Slavic Languages & Literatures |
2000 |
David D. Thomas |
Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biophysics |
2000 |
Patricia McCarthy Veach |
Educational Psychology |
2000 |
Tom Clayton |
English |
1999 |
Margaret B. Davis |
Ecology, Evolution & Behavior |
1999 |
Robert Hardy |
Veterinary Clinical Sciences |
1999 |
Thomas R. Hoye |
Chemistry |
1999 |
Allen Isaacman |
History |
1999 |
Thomas B. Mackenzie |
Psychiatry |
1999 |
Ephraim M. Sparrow |
Mechanical Engineering |
1999 |
Richard A. Weinberg | Institute of Child Development |
1999 |