Scholars of Excellence
Outstanding Graduate Faculty Mentor Award
The Outstanding Graduate Faculty Mentor Award recognizes USF Graduate Faculty who
demonstrate the highest level of quality in the mentoring of graduate students in
teaching, research, and service. Some of the qualities of an exceptional graduate
student
mentor include, but are not limited to:
- Committed efforts to assist the mentee with networking, job placement and professional development.
- Provision of sound counsel and advocacy on academic and non-academic issues.
- Selflessness in the commitment of time.
- Service as a role model for teaching, research, and outreach.
- Maintenance of a long term commitment with the mentee past graduation and throughout the trajectory of their career.
- Elevation of the productivity and success of the mentee beyond what they could normally achieve.
2025 Outstanding Graduate Faculty Mentor Award Recipients

Dr. B谩rbara Cruz
AWARD RECIPIENT
Teaching and Learning
College of Education
Teaching Philosophy
"I believe my students are the stewards of our profession and I am humbled by their
accomplishments. Teaching and mentorship are both science and art; where the two convene
is where the magic happens. John Dewey (1916/n.d.) famously observed, 鈥淎rt is
neither merely internal nor merely external; merely mental nor merely physical. Like
every
mode of action, it brings about changes in the world." It is deeply satisfying that
I had some
small part to play in my students bringing about the changes that make our world better."
Dewey, J. (1916/n.d.). Democracy and education. Project Gutenberg.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/852/852-h/852-h.htm

Dr. John N. Kuhn
Honorable Mention
Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering
College of Engineering
Teaching Philosophy
"My mentorship philosophy centers on fostering independent thinking, collaborative
learning, and professional growth. In both research and teaching settings, I emphasize
a 鈥渓earn by doing鈥 approach, encouraging students to engage deeply with open-ended
problems and to communicate their ideas effectively. I meet regularly with students鈥攂oth
individually and in small groups鈥攖o provide technical guidance, support their development
of essential skills, and ensure a safe and inclusive
research environment. I apply a tiered mentoring model, where senior graduate students
mentor junior members, promoting leadership and peer learning. This structure has
proven highly effective in building confidence and competence across experience levels.
In the classroom, I design assignments that blend technical rigor with communication, including presentations, written reports, and design projects. I provide iterative feedback to help students refine their work and grow as professionals. In research, I encourage students to present at conferences, publish their findings, and pursue intellectual property when appropriate. I remain actively engaged with alumni, many of whom continue to collaborate on research or serve as guest lecturers.
My goal is to cultivate well-rounded engineers who are not only technically proficient but also capable of leading and communicating in diverse professional settings."

Dr. Jing Wang
Honorable Mention
Electrical Engineering
College of Engineering
Teaching Philosophy
"My mentoring philosophy rests on three pillars: individualized growth through scaffolded
independence
and clear milestones; rigor with compassion, where high expectations are paired with
honest feedback and
whole-person support; and career-focused integration that treats graduate students
as emerging colleagues by placing their work within real research ecosystems, sponsor
interactions, and professional networks. These pillars map directly to the Outstanding
Graduate Faculty Mentor Award criteria.
Since 2006, I have acted as major and co-major professor for 23 Ph.D. and 8 M.S. graduates and currently supervise 8 Ph.D. and 3 M.S. students. In the past five years I mentored and graduated 9 Ph.D. and 3 M.S. students. Our graduates move directly into impactful roles across academia, national laboratories, and the RF/semiconductor industry. In the last two years, four new Ph.D. graduates joined Skyworks (two), Qorvo (one), and USF (postdoctoral fellow); two recent M.S. graduates proceeded to L3Harris and to a Ph.D. program at UT Dallas."

Dr. Janice Zgibor
Honorable Mention
Epidemiology
College of Public Health
Teaching Philosophy
"Mentoring graduate students is one of the most meaningful and enduring aspects of
my academic career. Over the past 20+ years, I have had the privilege of directly
mentoring 37
doctoral students and more than 50 master鈥檚 students across a range of disciplines.
Each student brought a unique perspective, set of goals, and personal journey to their
graduate
training, and I was honored to support them in becoming independent scholars, professionals,
and leaders. My mentoring philosophy is deeply rooted in respect, empathy, and a student-centered
approach that prioritizes individual growth, support, academic excellence, and long-term
success.
I believe that mentoring is a privilege and responsibility that must be approached with deep respect for the role of the mentor, the institution, the training process, and most importantly, the student. Respect for students means recognizing them as individuals with distinct goals, challenges, and potential. It means listening actively, engaging thoughtfully, and creating a safe and inclusive environment where they can thrive.
My mentoring begins with understanding each student鈥檚 interests and expectations,
aligning them with program goals, and collaboratively developing a plan for their
academic and professional development. I learned during my own doctoral training that
one of the
most powerful tools a mentor can offer is to be available and to listen. Graduate
students face a wide range of challenges including mental health concerns, family
responsibilities,
time management struggles, self-doubt, and academic pressures. Creating a space where
students feel supported and heard is essential to their success."
Past Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award Winners
2024
| Award | Name | Department | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recipient | Patrice Buzzanell, Ph.D. | Communication | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Honorable Mention | Travis Bell, Ph.D. | Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications |
College of Arts and Sciences |
| Honorable Mention | Erika Greenberg-Schneider | School of Art & Art History |
College of Design, Art & Performance |
2023
| Award | Name | Department | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recipient | Ambar Basu, Ph.D. | Communication |
College of Arts and Sciences |
| Honorable Mention | Jennifer Collins, Ph.D. | Geosciences |
College of Arts and Sciences |
| Honorable Mention | Davide Tanasi, Ph.D. | History |
College of Arts and Sciences |
2022
| Award | Name | Department | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recipient | Dinorah Martinez Tyson, Ph.D. | Community and Family Health |
College of Public Health |
| Honorable Mention | R谩chael Powers, Ph.D. | Criminology |
College of Behavioral and Community Sciences |
2021
| Award | Name | Discipline | College |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Recipient |
Yu Chen | Molecular Medicine | Morsani College of Medicine |
| Honorable Mention | Aisha Durham | Communication | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Honorable Mention | Jerome Breslin | Molecular Pharmacology & Physiology | Morsani College of Medicine |
2020
| Award | Name | Discipline | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recipient | Jianfeng Cai | Chemistry | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Honorable Mention | Robert Dedrick | Educational Measurement and Research | College of Education |
| Honorable Mention | Robert Frisina | Biomedical Engineering | College of Engineering |
2019
| Award | Name | Discipline | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recipient | Chuanmin Hu | Professor of Marine Science | College of Marine Science |
| Honorable Mention | Valerie Harwood | Professor of Integrative Biology | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Honorable Mention | Raymond Miltenberger | Professor of Applied Behavior Analysis | College of Behavioral and Community Sciences |
2018
| Award | Name | Discipline | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recipient | Les Shaw | Professor of CMMB | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Honorable Mention | Kathy Hyer | Professor of Aging Studies | College of Behavioral and Community Sciences |
| Honorable Mention | Rasim Guldiken | Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering | College of Engineering |
| Honorable Mention | Manh-Huong Phan | Physics | College of Arts and Sciences |
2017
| Award | Name | Discipline | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recipient | C. Victor Fung | Professor of Music Education | College of The Arts |
| Honorable Mention | Jonathan Rottenberg | Professor of Psychology | College of Arts and Sciences |
2016
| Award | Name | Discipline | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recipient | Pamela Hallock Muller | Professor of Marine Science | College of Marine Science |
| Honorable Mention | Sara Green | Associate Professor of Sociology | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Honorable Mention | Michael Lynch | Professor of Criminology | College of Behavioral and Community Sciences |
2015
| Award | Name | Discipline | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recipient | Sylvia Thomas | Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering | College of Engineering |
| Honorable Mention | Sarina Ergas | Professor of Civil and Electrical Engineering | College of Engineering |
| Honorable Mention | Kevin A. Yelvington | Professor of Anthropology | College of Arts and Sciences |
2014
| Award | Name | Discipline | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recipient | Paul Spector | Distinguished Professor of Psychology | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Honorable Mention | Nancy Romero-Daza | Professor of Anthropology | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Honorable Mention | Camilla Vasquez | Associate Professor of World Languages | College of Arts and Sciences |
2013
| Award | Name | Discipline | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recipient | Tammy Allen | Professor of Psychology | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Honorable Mention | Sanjukta Bhanja | Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering | College of Engineering |
| Honorable Mention | Mya Breitbart | Associate Professor of Marine Science | College of Marine Science |