communigator

Mentoring honors

Mentoring future faculty members and researchers is a key responsibility of the UF College of Journalism and Communications graduate faculty, a duty not taken lightly. The University is now recognizing the College and its faculty’s commitment to mentoring its graduate students with two faculty members receiving UF’s Doctoral Mentoring Award.

Debbie Treise, professor and associate dean of graduate studies, received the honor in 2009-10 and Professor Lynda Lee Kaid was recently notified she is one of the university’s recipients for 2010-11. UF’s College of Journalism and Communications is the only UF college to have one of the five university-wide honorees each of the past two years.

“Mentoring doctoral students is a commitment – a serious commitment of time, emotion, guidance, handholding, support, nurturing,” wrote Treise in her essay about her approach to mentoring. “I believe in my mentees, and I hope it shows in the way I interact with them, with confidence, respect and kindness.”

The UF Graduate School’s annual award encourages and rewards excellence, innovation and effectiveness in mentoring.

Nominations for the award come from current graduate students, graduate alumni, faculty members, graduate coordinators, department chairs, school directors, college deans and higher-level administrators.

For Kaid, mentoring doctoral students is both a great professional joy and humbling
responsibility. “From the beginning, I view them as colleagues who work with me, not for me,” wrote Kaid in her essay. “And, just as I believe that learning does not begin and end with semester deadlines, I believe that doctoral students are ‘forever,’ and mine know they cannot elude working with me just by graduating.”

Editor’s note: At press time, the College learned that Telecommunication Professor Lynda Kaid had passed away. It is with great sadness that the College shares this news. Please see the Fall issue of the Communigator for additional information.