Announcing the 2025 Faculty, Graduate Student, and Staff Award Winners

Graduate Mentoring Award

This award honors a faculty member who goes above and beyond as a supportive mentor and role model in graduate students' educational and career development.

This year's recipient is Josh Ackerman!

One nominator wrote, “As my advisor in graduate school, Josh was exemplary—always attentive to our ongoing projects, prompt with feedback, and incredibly supportive in the face of journal and job market rejections. He consistently looked out for his students' best interests as we navigated the field. He has continued to be an invaluable mentor in my postdoctoral career. As I transitioned into my postdoc, I encountered challenges such as funding uncertainties and advisor-related issues. Despite no longer being his student, he has remained deeply invested in my success, taking significant time to meet with me, offer thoughtful advice on navigating complex situations, and keep me engaged in ongoing projects to ensure continued professional growth.” 

Another student stated, “As Josh's student, I feel fully supported and encouraged in my academic endeavors. He challenges me to think critically about research questions and projects in ways that are already shaping me into a stronger researcher. He provides opportunities to explore ideas beyond the scope of the lab while also steering me away from unproductive paths . . . All in all, I believe he is incredibly deserving of an award that recognizes his success as a mentor and role model -- not only for his own students but for others in our area and field more broadly.”
 
Congratulations, Josh!

Wilbert McKeachie Award for Excellence in Lecture-Based Teaching

This award is presented to a faculty member recognized for outstanding teaching in the traditional lecture format.

This year's recipient is Thad Polk!

One student stated, “Thad goes out of his way to make every student feel seen, even in extremely large classes. He makes every lecture incredibly engaging, especially for a class that is arguably one of the more technical topics in psychology. Also, he would send individual emails to all students who either received an A on their exams or who showed great improvement, because he wanted everyone who was putting in the effort to feel seen and not feel lost in such a large class. I really valued his teaching style and the way he went above and beyond for all of his 300+ students. It is evident through his teaching style how truly passionate he is about educating and how much he cares.”    
 
Another student said, “Thad created an environment conducive to learning. His interpersonal skill elevated the course to one of my favorites in my UMich academic career. He inspired students to ask questions, and he made a grand lecture hall feel so intimate. He was also approachable, accessible, and understanding.”
 
Congratulations, Thad!

J. Frank Yates Award for Excellence in Seminar-Based Teaching

This award is presented to a faculty member recognized for outstanding teaching in smaller, more interactive courses.

This year's recipient is Liz Buvinger!

One student stated, “The structure and nature of the class that I took with Liz was exceptional. The class felt important and had a role in shaping my future ambitions within and beyond university. Overall it was an incredibly worthwhile class and led to significant personal growth. This was due to the significant efforts to create a welcoming and engaging classroom in which all students were able to give valuable contributions. She is an exceptional teacher from whom I learned a lot and who is worthy of praise.”
 
Another nominator said, "Liz is an inspirational instructor and her continued investment in excellence in teaching encompasses the traits we should recognize with this award. She has created a highly sought after and highly rated upper-level seminar, Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Mainstream Media, which reflects her expertise as well as her enthusiasm and passion for disseminating rigorous science while effectively engaging her students in the learning process. Students often look to her as a mentor as well. Students consistently rate her among their most valued teachers while noting that she requires excellent work, encouraging them to invest in the course materials.”
 
Congratulations, Liz!

Excellence in Mentoring Award

This award is presented to a graduate student who is recognized by undergraduate students for outstanding training and support of undergraduate research assistants.

This year's recipient is Kristen Schuh!

One student stated, “The unwavering commitment to her craft is clear to all who receive the opportunity to work with her. Every single day, Kristen leads by example- she is consistently the first to step up and lead lab members, spending extra hours assisting with the thesis students’ experiments and demonstrating a true passion for what she studies. She embodies the never ending, wonderful nature of scientific inquiry, as she is always searching for the next cool new idea to study, which is incredibly inspiring to all of us mentees as we begin our journey into the scientific world.”
 
Another student stated, “One of the most impactful examples of her commitment to my success is the way Kristen repeatedly makes me feel valuable as a scientist. I often doubted my abilities, thinking I wasn’t made for research because I struggled in some science courses, which she would respond to by pointing out my strengths: my ability to analyze research papers, critically evaluate data, and clearly communicate scientific ideas. Her unwavering support and encouragement instilled a confidence in me that I never had before, completely changing my academic and professional goals.”
 
Congratulations, Kristen!

Chris Peterson Staff Excellence Award

The Chris Peterson Staff Excellence Award, named after a beloved faculty member who passed away in 2012, is intended to honor a Psychology staff member for outstanding service to the department by living Chris’s motto “Other people matter, period."

This year's recipient is Roxie Kohler!

One nominator stated, “Roxie has played a vital role in organizing our new seminar series, including managing the itineraries and bookings of several external speakers during a relatively short period of time, and dealing with all sorts of unexpected changes in programs (illness, weather, etc). She is super responsive and very proactive. It has been a pleasure to work with her!”
 
Another individual said, “I cannot appreciate more how patient and responsive Roxie has been to my COUNTLESS and BACK AND FORWARD logistic requests. I have a pretty heavy-lifting in-person experiment this semester that requires a ton of coordination. We are up and running now, and I don't think that would have been possible (at least, not at this point) without her. I'd like to especially acknowledge her as I believe that she is a new face at EH 1004, and I am so glad that she joined the department.”
Congratulations, Roxie!

The Star Staff Award for Exemplary Leadership

This award is presented by the Management Group – which includes the Chair, Associate Chairs, Chief Administrator, Director of Student Services, and Facilities Manager – and given to the staff member who is recognized for exemplary service including outstanding leadership, innovation, and collaboration.

This year's recipient is Rachel Watson!

One member of the Management Group stated, “Since joining the Psychology Department in 2021, Rachel has demonstrated remarkable dedication and has become an indispensable member of our team. Her recent well-deserved promotion reflects her outstanding contributions and leadership abilities. She assumed her supervisory role during a particularly challenging period when our office faced staffing shortages. Not only did she take on extra work as a result of being short-staffed, but she also managed to plan our graduation event taking place on a Sunday for about 700 students and over 5,000 family and friends in attendance. Despite these obstacles, she embraced her responsibilities wholeheartedly and has consistently gone above and beyond expectations. She is not only intelligent and thorough in her work, but also incredibly supportive of her team. Her thoughtful and compassionate nature fosters a positive and inclusive work environment.”
 
Another member stated, “Since Rachel joined the Psychology staff, she has been a quiet commander of her responsibilities.  In addition to providing essential support to students in Psychology’s undergraduate Honors Program, working with the undergraduate chair and dozens of faculty advisors, she provides about 600 individual academic appointments with undergraduate Psych and BCN majors each year. She is a leader among academic advisors on this campus, serving on the Advising Council at the University of Michigan and chairing the DEI in Advising Committee since September, 2022. Recently, she was promoted to Undergraduate Program Manager in the Psych SAA office because she is the right person for the job.”
 
Congratulations, Rachel!