Michael Eracleous, a professor in the department of astronomy & astrophysics at Pennsylvania State University, was awarded one of six national Faculty Mentor of the Year awards at the 26th annual Institute on Teaching and Mentoring in October in Atlanta, Georgia. The Institute is the nation’s largest annual gathering of underrepresented Ph.D. students and college faculty members of color.

Eracleous was nominated for the award by Mallory Molina, who said that Eracleous’s mentorship and support encouraged her to stay in graduate school. “The simple act of being myself in a professional setting, and to have that affirmed by my advisor, was a powerful moment in my career,” Molina said.

To address the nation’s continuing shortage of African-American, Hispanic and Native American faculty, the SREB-State Doctoral Scholars Program hosts the annual Institute on Teaching and Mentoring, a collaboration of programs across the country that support minority Ph.D. students.

The Institute on Teaching and Mentoring is the largest gathering of minority doctoral scholars in the country. Now in its 26th year, the Institute gives the issue of faculty diversity a national focus and provides minority scholars with the strategies necessary to survive the rigors of graduate school, earn the doctoral degree and succeed as members of the professorate.

Contact: Veronica Johnson 404-879-5536

Or Ansley Abraham 404-879-5573