Meet the 2022 Faculty Career Champions

Now in its 6th year, the Faculty Career Champion award has become a true example of the ways faculty create the 4D Experience for students as they begin to pursue careers and lives of purpose.  DU is known for close faculty/student interactions and mentoring throughout the students’ entire time at DU. Building a constellation of mentors starts on day one for students and is vital for a meaningful 4D Experience. Faculty mentors play a critical role in all the dimensions of the student experience. The Faculty Career Champion student nominated award validates these faculty/student interactions and tells the compelling story of how DU faculty impact students’ career and professional development goals by using a variety of curricular integration ideas that were noted by students. Year after year, we continue to be amazed by the number of student faculty nominations and the amount of time faculty dedicate to students. DU faculty are true career advocates for their students. This year 417 students nominated 232 faculty! What is even more astonishing is in the past 6 years we have had over 2200 students nominate over 900 professors as a career champion!

On September 20, 2022 Provost Clark along with university leaders and career services professionals from across campus gathered for the 6th Annual Faculty Career Champion Breakfast in the Burwell Center for Career Achievement to acknowledge, honor, and celebrate the 232 student nominated Faculty Career Champions. Each faculty member that was nominated received a Faculty Career Champion letter containing the student quote(s) and how faculty impacted the student’s career and professional development goals. 

One student wrote “My professor strengthened my self-confidence, helped me completely rework my resume, and continues to give me excellent advice for interviews and connection-making. I really couldn’t do this job search without her!”. Another wrote, “My professor has been a wonderful mentor. We have met multiple times to discuss my career aspirations and ideas on how to get there, including which internships to seek out.”  A student thank you video further demonstrates the impact faculty have on a student’s career and professional development goals.

With so many compelling nominations, Career Services leaders from across campus chose two faculty as the 2022 Faculty Career Champions.  This was based on several factors including years of being nominated, career integration into the classroom, student quotes, and partnerships with Career & Professional Development staff:

Undergraduate Faculty Career Champion

Goncalo Martins, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering

Ritchie School of Engineering & Computer Science

Graduate Faculty Career Champion

Donna Beth Ellard, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, English & Literary Arts

College of Arts Humanities & Social Sciences

Thank you to all the nominees! We are also deeply grateful to all of the Faculty Career Champion nominees. View a complete list of all the 2022 Faculty Career Champion nominations here.  Students should feel free to reach out to these professors with career development advice and questions.

We would also like to thank all the DU students who nominated 232 faculty this past academic year!  Students, please watch for the next Faculty Career Champion call for nominations at the beginning of Spring Quarter 2023. An email will be sent through PCO.

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