Congratulations to the recipients of the 2023 Faculty Excellence in Mentoring Awards!

In recognition of the critically important role that mentors play in supporting undergraduate and graduate student research and creative activity, the Office of Student Research offers two annual Faculty Excellence in Mentoring Awards for outstanding mentorship. The Faculty Excellence in Mentoring Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated excellence in mentoring and supporting student researchers. Strong nominations demonstrate excellence in mentoring by supporting and influencing students’ educational and career paths. Examples may include peer-reviewed publications involving Longwood students; student presentations or awards; and evidence of continued success of mentored students.

This year, the OSR awarded two Faculty Excellence in Mentoring Awards: one award is for assistant professors, lecturers, or clinical educators who have 6 or fewer years of service at Longwood and one award is for associate or full professors, senior lecturers, or senior clinical educators who have more than 6 years of service at Longwood.  A committee of faculty members involved with Office of Student Research Initiatives selected the award recipients.

• This year, the Faculty Excellence in Mentoring Award for assistant professors, lecturers, or clinical educators who have 6 or fewer years of service at Longwood was awarded to Dr. Steven Hoehner, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.

In the nomination form, his student said:

                “There are many different qualities Dr. Hoehner possesses that make him an excellent mentor. For example, he was always able to explain complex mathematical concepts in ways that were perfectly understandable to me. This allowed the discussions about our research to be a very collaborative process where I was able to participate in a meaningful way. He has always been available for me to visit his office and discuss both the continuation of our research project and my graduate school applications. He also helped me improve my skills as a student, and further confirmed my interest in pursuing a graduate degree. Working with Dr. Hoehner has made me much more comfortable in the field of academic research and this is one of the reasons I am much more confident going into graduate school to study Computation Operations Research. Finally, he supported me through the graduate school application process and provided great advice when I was unsure of the best ways to proceed. I was excited to share with him when I was accepted to The College of William and Mary’s graduate program. Dr. Hoehner is a true mentor to me. I do not believe my experience at Longwood would have been the same without him and my future academic and career paths will certainly be more successful because of him.”

• This year, the Faculty Excellence in Mentoring Award for associate or full professors, senior lecturers, or senior clinical educators who have more than 6 years of service at Longwood goes to Dr. Sarai Blincoe, Department of Psychology.

In the nomination form, her student said:

                “Not only does Dr. Blincoe continuously demonstrate her expertise in psychology and research, but she holds qualities that have made her the best mentor a student could ask for. I have had the privilege to form a fantastic one-on-one relationship with Dr. Blincoe and she hasn’t only provided me with fantastic teaching and guidance in our field’s research, but has guided my personal growth. Whenever I meet with her, her first questions are never how my assignments or progress on research is going, it’s always how I’m doing as a person. This has meant the world to me over the last year and she exemplifies what it means to be a professor who makes life impacts on her students. She remains optimistic, supportive, and encouraging through whatever research endeavors my mind has wandered to. Her knowledge and guidance served as the biggest support system for the growth of my love for research. Working with Dr. Blincoe has been invaluable and I’m thankful for the opportunity to continue to do so.

Congratulations to Dr. Hoehner and Dr. Blincoe!

The Office of Student Research would also like to recognize the following 7 faculty who were nominated by their students for the Faculty Excellence in Mentoring Award this year:

Dr. Brian Bates, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice

Dr. Alison King, Department of Social Work and Communications Sciences and Disorders

Dr. Mark Kostro, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice

Dr. Melissa Kravetz, Department of History, Political Science, and Philosophy

Dr. Denis Trubitsyn, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences

Dr. Ben Topham, Department of Chemistry and Physics

Dr. Maureen Walls-McKay, Dean of Well Being

Congratulations to these inspiring mentors!

If you would like to learn more about getting involved in research at Longwood University, please visit Longwood’s Office of Student Research website http://www.longwood.edu/office-of-student-research/

or contact Amorette Barber, Director of the Office of Student Research ([email protected] or [email protected]).