Maria Hamilton Abegunde, Post-doctoral fellow at the University Graduate School and Director of The Graduate Mentoring Center, recently received one of the Dr. James E. Mumford Excellence in Extraordinary Teaching Awards. According to the Faculty Academy on Excellence in Teaching (FACET) website, “the Mumford Awards specifically sought to highlight excellence in classroom teaching, course design, and instructor-student advising in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, social justice developments, and other adverse and unexpected situations.” In her statement about receiving the award, Dr. Abegunde explains that, “The first time I met Dr. Mumford, he refused to allow me to sit quietly, hidden, as my own work was performed at the Buskirk. He demanded that I be recognized. This was Baba Mumford’s gift: to see you for who you were and would become. I would like to think I pay this gift forward with every student I meet.” Dr. Abegunde is also a faculty member in the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies.

To view all of the award recipients please visit the FACET website.