Each spring graduate students are invited to nominate faculty members for the Faculty Award for Outstanding Mentorship of Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs.) Typically each nomination is supported by several GSIs who have worked with the honoree. The award, sponsored by the Graduate Council’s Advisory Committee for GSI Affairs and the GSI Teaching & Resource Center, is presented as a surprise in the faculty member’s classroom, with the GSIs and other departmental faculty and staff present in the fall.
Recently, Clayton Radke, Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE), was one of four faculty members to receive this year’s award. Lew Feldman, Professor of Plant and Microbial Biology and committee member of the Graduate Council’s Faculty Committee for GSI Affairs, surprised Professor Radke with a plaque and charming balloon bouquet to acknowledge his award.
This award is important in part because the awardees are nominated by the very people who benefit from the mentoring, namely the GSIs, who are working toward improving their teaching as part of their graduate experience. After the GSIs recommend faculty for the award, the Graduate Council’s Faculty Committee for GSI Affairs reviews the recommendations and makes final selections.
One GSI who nominated Radke stated, “While I knew he was an exceptionally committed teacher even before being his GSI, I was actually surprised to see how caring and sympathetic he was towards the struggles many first-year graduate students face in adapting to a new and challenging environment. He was acutely aware of which students were struggling and often asked me to update him on their performance and reach out to ensure they had the support they needed to succeed and thrive at UC Berkeley.”
Another GSI commented, “Professor Radke elevates the GSI role from a simple student-GSI classroom interaction, to a broader and cohesive synergy between all components of a course. His passion for his profession translates into challenges for students and GSIs that not only enrich the teaching and learning experience, but also motivate them to improve on a daily basis. His mentorship and energy should serve as an example to every faculty member at an institution such as the University of California, Berkeley.”
Jeffrey Reimer, CBE Chair and Professor commented, “ChE 140 is the gateway to the College's major in chemical and biomolecular engineering, and it is a difficult course to teach. CBE is so very grateful Professor Radke devotes his time and energy to the course and its GSIs”.
Congratulations Professor Radke on this wonderful acknowledgement of your mentorship and guidance.
More information:
Read more about what the GSIs had to say about Professor Radke>