The campus community is invited to join the Jackson Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring winners as they present on best practices for mentoring undergraduates Friday, Oct. 10, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Strosacker Auditorium.
The Jackson Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring recognizes the positive impact Case Western Reserve University faculty and staff have on the lives of students. It was established by J. Bruce Jackson (ADL ’52) in honor of Dean Carl F. Wittke, who served as an adviser, mentor, and friend to Jackson when he was an undergraduate student at Western Reserve University.
The Jackson Award celebrates faculty and staff who have guided a student in their academic and career paths; fostered the student’s long-term personal development; challenged the student to reflect, explore and grow as an individual; and supported and/or facilitated the student’s goals and life choices.
The winners of the 2014 Jackson Award are Deepak Sarma, professor of South Asian religions and philosophy, and Yoram Daon, lecturer in modern Hebrew. A student nominator for Sarma said that: “Professor Sarma has been one of the most influential mentors of my undergraduate career. Over the past four years, he has been a teacher, advisor, confidante, intellectual partner and friend to me, and just as his classes have inspired me academically, his personal guidance and support have also carried me through some of the biggest decisions and toughest periods of my life.” Daon’s nomination included the comment: “Mentors like Yoram truly illustrate the distinction between a mentor and advisor: an adviser last a semester, but a mentor continues to be there for his students and lasts a lifetime,” and that, “Being there for his students through various personal, academic, and professional elements is what makes Yoram truly stand out as a shining example of a 5-star Case Western Reserve University mentor.”
Both were honored at the 2014 commencement exercises on May 18 during the Undergraduate Diploma Ceremony.