Three honored with mentoring awards

The 2005 Everett Mendelsohn Excellence in Mentoring Awards have been presented to Edward Glaeser (Economics), Stephen Soumerai (Ambulatory Care and Prevention and Health Policy), and John Stauffer (English and History of American Civilization). The three professors received the awards, presented by the Graduate Student Council (GSC), at an event held in the Faculty Club on March 24.The Excellence in Mentoring Award, now in its seventh year, is given annually to three outstanding professors who demonstrate exceptional care for the lives and work of graduate students. Professors are nominated by students and selected by a jury made up of of the GSC vice president and at-large representatives. The award is named for Professor of the History of Science and former Dudley House Master Everett Mendelsohn.John Stauffer (right) was noted for the perfect timing of encouraging words, and Edward Glaeser (left) was also praised for his sensitivity.After the keynote address by Marjorie Garber, director of the Humanities Center and the chair of the Department of Visual and Environmental Studies, the awards were presented by Miguel de Baca, the GSC communications officer. Glaeser, who was noted by his students for his sensitivity to their needs, returned the compliment by praising their hard work and perseverance. Soumerai, who holds a joint appointment with the Medical Schol and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), was singled out for his attention to the stresses of students’ personal lives. And Stauffer, recognized by his charges for the perfect timing of encouraging words, commented that students have turned out to be some of his most important mentors.The Excellence in Mentoring Awards annual event is co-sponsored by the GSC and the GSAS. Nominations are submitted online via the GSC Web site (http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~gsc) during January and February, and the awards ceremony is held in March. The event is free and open to the public.