MSU professor recognized by Graduate Employees Union

By Beau Hayhoe | Originally Published: 05/24/11 6:29pm | No comments

The Graduate Employees Union, or GEU, has recognized an MSU professor, along with the Department of English, for her work with graduate students during this past school year.

Stephanie Nawyn, an assistant professor of sociology, was named Outstanding Supervisor by the union, and the Department of English received the nod for Outstanding Department.

The GEU looked for departments and professors that support teaching assistants with balancing both schoolwork and research, said Sam Otten, president of the GEU. Otten said members of the union were free to nominate candidates through a written application that outlined their supervisor or department. The union’s Stewards’ Council then determined the award winners.

“This is actually the first year we’ve done it — it was very successful,” Otten said. “We had great nominations that were submitted.”

Feedback from award nominees has been positive, and the GEU plans to continue giving out the awards once per academic year in the future, Otten said.

Nawyn received the Outstanding Supervisor Award for her work with graduate students in the Department of Sociology. She was responsible for conducting meetings with teaching assistants that outlined course requirements, while also providing them with guidance and support.

“I try to give them the opportunity to partake in the construction of the course in terms of choosing specific readings or working with students one-on-one,” she said. “I tried to facilitate a relationship development.”

Stephen Rachman, the associate chairperson for graduate studies in the Department of English, said the award recognizes his department’s work with the university.

“The honor is a recognition from the union that our department … commits to supporting our graduate labor,” he said. “We have a commitment to graduate teaching that is in accordance with the goals of the university — that says a lot about our concerns.”

Rachman said although he thinks his department always has had a high level of commitment to graduate students, teaching wasn’t something they emphasized heavily.

“Traditionally, we saw ourselves as training scholars,” he said. “This … reflects a shift in sort of thinking about what graduate education is and what its realities are — you’re thrown into a teaching experience and you realize there’s a lot to that that’s very rewarding and very important.”