Graduate English Organization's 2021 Faculty Awards

Congratulations to Professor Matthew Kirschenbaum and Kari Kraus, winners of this year's GEO Faculty Awards.

Professor Matthew Kirschenbaum received the Faculty Service Award. This award is given to a faculty member of the English department who has provided outstanding service to graduate students.

Student testimony:
"Matt is one of the most supportive professors I have ever had the privilege of working with throughout my academic career. In the classroom he is a generous educator and a brilliant instructor. Outside of the classroom he is a kind and encouraging mentor. In both of these professional contexts, Matt places his students and their academic growth first. Especially this past year, an extremely challenging academic year for us all for a number of reasons, Matt’s commitment to student success was exemplary and unparalleled. Matt is a highly deserving recipient of this award."

 "What sets him apart is that he has high expectations of his students, but he also puts us in a position to succeed and makes it obvious that he's there to support you. Also, he has an incredible ability to take a pile of undeveloped ideas and to help you pick out the gold that's somewhere in there."

"BookLab is really one-of-a-kind, and Matt managed to make it just as welcoming online as it is in-person."

Professor Kari Kraus received the Kandice Chuh Mentorship Award. Named for former UMD Professor Kandice Chuh, the award seeks to honor a faculty member for their intellectual generosity, support, and commitment to graduate students and their causes. This was especially important this previous year in light of the pandemic.

Student testimony:
"Kari was an amazing teacher and mentor this year. Taking her class was an absolute delight, but beyond that, she also mentored students outside of class and helped us plan social activities over zoom. She really went out of her way to make students feel excited and involved with the community, which was all the more meaningful during the pandemic. I also want to emphasize that, even though this is an award within the English Department, Kari is an excellent mentor to students across departments, and she makes everyone feel at home in her classes."

"Kari's enthusiasm to make students engage with programming and the new media, and her patience to explain what to do in every step to all the students, make her classes quite unique."

“Dr. Kraus's class was one of my first at UMD, and she made it an absolute delight! Her course design was so unique and interesting, and her encouragement and kindness allowed me to develop a unique project per my location and class themes. I even won an award from this project, and she eagerly encouraged me to take it to publication! I appreciate her open-mindedness and flexibility towards fostering student success, especially at the onset of the pandemic. I am so happy she has been awarded this honor; it is quite well deserved!"