Women’s Leadership Council Recognizes Two Faculty As Leading Mentors

Posted on March 6, 2007

The Carolina Women’s Leadership Council recently honored two UNC faculty members as outstanding mentors.

Professor Janna Dieckmann, an assistant professor of nursing, received the council’s faculty-to-faculty mentoring award, and Professor Andrew Reynolds, an associate professor of political science, received the group’s faculty-to-student award.

The Carolina Women’s Leadership Council Awards are funded by an endowment established by the council, a volunteer committee that is a part of the Carolina First Campaign, the University’s current fundraising drive. Council members have raised $240,000 to endow the awards as an effort to bolster faculty support, a key goal of Carolina First. After recently reaching the campaign’s $2 billion campaign goal, UNC officials said they intend to raise an additional $100 million for faculty support in the remaining months of the campaign, which ends Dec. 31.

The mentoring awards, which carry a stipend of $5,000 each, recognize faculty members who go the extra mile to guide, mentor and lead students or junior faculty members as they make career decisions, embark on research challenges and enrich their lives through public service, teaching and educational opportunities.

Julia Sprunt Grumbles ’75, co-chair of the Carolina Women’s Leadership Council, said the awards focus attention not only on Carolina’s excellent faculty but also on the continuing need to support that excellence.

“Faculty support is one of the major priorities of the Carolina First Campaign,” Grumbles said. “An overwhelming number of faculty members have identified the need for more recognition programs to honor the fine work being done by our scholars. To that end, we found a way to honor those faculty members who have shared their wisdom and experience to lead, encourage and support students and colleagues in attaining academic and personal goals.”

First awarded in 2006, the mentoring awards are intended to be an ongoing recognition program, open to tenured and tenure-track faculty as well as fixed-term faculty who have taught at UNC for at least three years. Nominations may be submitted by anyone from the UNC community, including current and former faculty, staff and students. A selection committee appointed by the provost and on which Grumbles serves reviews and recommends the award recipients.

The leadership council is a nationwide network of women committed to supporting the University and students’ educational experiences. Along with providing financial support, members volunteer their time and share their expertise, champion UNC in their regions and serve on boards that further the University’s mission.

In addition to Grumbles, council co-chairs include Mary Anne Dickson ’63 and Barbara Hyde ’83, who also is a member of UNC’s Board of Trustees.

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