Meet the 2021 Faculty Career Champions!

Career & Professional Development is thrilled to announce the 2021 Faculty Career Champion awardees.  This student nominated faculty award is now it is 5th year and we are again very moved to hear from students about the great DU faculty career advocates.  We had over 180 nominations and each of these nominees were invited to the 5th Annual Faculty Career Champion Breakfast on Sept. 14 to celebrate with the Chancellor, Provost and several leaders from across campus.

This past academic year brought many remote learning challenges for students and faculty.  Many of the student nominations described how faculty not only helped them with their career and professional development goals but also how faculty helped students with other issues related to the pandemic.  DU faculty are known for their close connections with students and these nominations told this story to a great degree!  Each faculty member that is nominated received a nomination quote letter from the student(s) that nominated them.  These letters are very telling of the caring and student focused faculty at DU and how faculty continue to go above and beyond their academic teaching responsibilities!

When the selection committee from career centers across campus met last spring, it was evident that three faculty stood out from not only this year’s student nominations but previous years as well. Career & Professional Development has chosen the following faculty as the 2021 Faculty Career Champions:

Graduate Faculty Career Champion

Cecilia Orphan

Cecilia M. Orphan, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Higher Education Department in the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver and Co-Director of the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges. She researches higher education administration and public policy and teaches courses examining the organization and governance of higher education and higher education public policy. Dr. Orphan is passionate about teaching and mentoring students and incorporates feminist and liberatory values into her work with students. View Cecilia’s Student Thank You Video

Undergraduate Faculty Career Champion

Faan Tone Liu

Faan Tone Liu, Ph.D., is a Teaching Professor in the Department of Computer Science at DU, where she gets great satisfaction from connecting with students both in teaching and advising. Faan Tone values being part of an institution dedicated to the public good, encouraging and supporting students to find a passionate attitude to learning and work, in a way that will make a difference in the world. Her varied education and work background in software engineering, actuarial work, mathematics, teaching, and parenting helps her encourage students to find freedom in their choice of study and work.  View Faan Tone’s Student Thank You Video

 

Emeritus Faculty Career Champion

Greg Wagner

Greg Wagner was a Teaching Professor and Marketing Internship Director with the Daniels College of Business until recently retiring this summer. As director of marketing internships at Daniels, he expanded the number of students who completed internships from five per quarter his first year as the director to more than 30 per quarter. Greg was also a member of the Faculty Career Champion Advisory Group where he provided guidance to undergraduate career offices on campus on how to best collaborate with faculty to enhance career development integration on campus.  Prior to joining DU 14 years ago, Greg spent 35 years as a Creative Director at D’Arcy and Leo Burnett.  He worked on big, fun accounts like Budweiser, Pontiac, Milk, Six Flags, Rawlings Sporting Goods, Amoco gasoline, Cadillac, the U.S. Ski Association, Ski Lake Tahoe, Missing Kids and many others.  Greg won over 50 creative awards including a Clio and a finalist at the Cannes Film Festival.  He also taught at the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the University of Colorado School of Journalism.  View Greg’s Student Thank You Video

We would like to thank all the DU students who nominated 187 faculty this past academic year! Click here to see a complete list of all the 2021 Faculty Career Champion nominations.

Students, please watch for the next Faculty Career Champion call for nominations at the beginning of the Spring Quarter 2022.

If you would like to learn more about the Faculty Career Champion program, please contact Jane Kolb, jane.e.kolb@du.edu.

By Jane Kolb
Jane Kolb Career & Professional Development