The UConn AAUP established the Edward C. Marth Mentorship Award to recognize the leadership and dedication of Edward Marth, former Executive Director of the UConn AAUP Chapter, and to encourage and reward outstanding mentoring of graduate students by UConn graduate faculty members. Recipients of the award have had direct and significant impact and involvement with graduate students, outstanding commitment, and effectiveness as a mentor of graduate students at UConn and have demonstrated unusual effort to provide consistent mentoring of graduate students during their careers.
Recipients of the Edward C. Marth Mentorship Award are UConn graduate faculty members who have extraordinary records of excellence and effectiveness in activities such as facilitating smooth transitions for both entering and exiting graduate students; showing sensitivity to students’ academic, personal, and professional goals and needs; being accessible to students; playing an active role in coaching graduate students through the graduate school experience and connecting them to appropriate intellectual and professional networks; and, guiding graduate students toward intellectual and professional independence.
“Dr. Burgess has played a pivotal role in shaping my graduate career, providing mentorship that extends far beyond the boundaries of the laboratory,” says Suraj Fanse, a current graduate student in Burgess’s lab. “ ‘If you cannot pay it back, pay it forward.’ This ethos embodies not only her teachings but her way of life. Dr. Burgess’ mentorship has been nothing short of transformative. The impact of her mentorship on my academic and personal development is truly immeasurable. She is an exceptional mentor, inspirational educator, a prolific leader, and an extraordinary visionary who has touched the hearts of all who have had the privilege of working under her guidance!”
“Acceptance into the Ph.D. program in Dr. Burgess Lab was a pivotal moment in my life. It opened a whole new world for me,” says Yan Wang who graduated from Burgess’s lab in 2013. “From the moment I joined Dr. Burgess’s lab, she has been an inspiration, a role model, and a great mentor. Although it has been more than 10 years since my graduation, Dr Burgess’s mentorship has continued to play a pivotal role in my professional career and personal life. She now encourages my young daughters to reach their full potential, and they look up to her and love her as I do. If I were to come up with a motto to describe her nurturing philosophy, it would be to ‘work hard, work smart, and enjoy life’!”
As tradition for the recipient of the award, Burgess will address the doctoral degree recipients at the Doctoral Commencement Ceremony on May 6th, 2024.
