Photo by Pathik Shah

For Honors College English associate professor Margot Gayle Backus, a university should do more than teach material; it should help students discover themselves. Her eagerness to mentor students at any level has earned her the Faculty Award for Mentoring Undergraduate Research.

Her classroom is home for coursework, but her home or nearby café are havens for learning not only how to make a living, but how to make a life, to paraphrase her motto. She has mentored countless students pursuing doctorates, writing papers for conferences, writing a thesis or trying to get through James Joyce’s “Ulysses.” She strives to be more than a teacher. She aims to be an ally and guide.

Marisa Ramirez
Staff writer

View full list of 2008 award recipients                          Past award recipients