Dr. Gary Rhoades Awarded the Distinguished Mentor Award

This university-wide award was established to recognize outstanding tenured or continuing status faculty at the full professor rank who have mentored early career faculty and made highly valued contributions to the mentoring of graduate students. When colleagues in our department began to organize his nomination, countless people agreed to send in reflections to honor the ways that Dr. Rhoades helped to shape their life. We offer a few excerpts here to once again highlight the impact that Dr. Rhoades has had on his students and colleagues.

“Gary is not only the reason I became an academic, but also the reason why I have been able to retain my humanity (and sanity) while being an academic. Gary sees every student through the lens of their own potential, even if the student doesn’t yet see that vision for themselves. He draws this out of us, while also making us laugh and helping us to recognize that academic life must also be a life worth living.” Another person noted, “The year I was preparing my dossier for promotion and tenure, I was visiting Gary and had planned to talk through his feedback for my P&T materials….We walked and talked and went for ice cream…I have no idea what else Gary had on his calendar that day and I know how busy he must have been. It didn’t matter. He paused all of it…This is Gary. He never hesitates to pause what he is doing in support of one of us. He never hesitates to take a walk and get an ice cream cone. It is a true act of mentorship and love. Yes, I am a stronger scholar because of Gary’s mentorship, but more importantly, I have learned from Gary how to offer this same mentorship, care, and community with others.”

The Educational Policy Studies and Practice Department is honored to celebrate Dr. Gary Rhoades!!