Mary Sansalone, professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was recently named one of the four 2005 winners of the Kendall S. Carpenter Memorial Advising Award. The awards were established by Stephen Ashley, a member of Cornell’s board of trustees, to honor his former adviser, Kendall S. Carpenter, a professor of business management in what is now the Department of Applied Economics and Management from 1954 until his death at the age of 50 in 1967.
The $5,000 awards recognize “sustained and distinguished contributions of professorial faculty and senior lecturers to undergraduate advising,” and nominations were accepted from individual students, university staff, college deans, and associate deans, and department chairs.
“Professor Mary Sansalone has been the most knowledgeable and helpful adviser I have ever had at Cornell University,” enthuses one of her students in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Many others commented on the exceptional amount of selfless dedication she has for her students. “In a group of exceptional advisers, Mary stands out,” says William Philpot, associate director of the school.
Sansalone credits her Ph.D. adviser at Cornell, Professor Emeritus Richard White, with teaching her by example to be a good adviser. “He truly cared about his students and always looked out for their best interests. I’ve always tried to follow his example.”
Other advising award winners were Janice Brown, Department of Food Science; Gary Evans, Department of Design and Environmental Analysis; and Mary Katzenstein, Department of Government. Recipients will be honored next spring at a trustee–faculty dinner recognizing the winners of university-wide teaching and advising awards.
Also this year, the awards committee made a program award to Rich Robbins, director of engineering advising, for funds to implement an electronic tracking and web-based evaluation system in the Engineering Advising office.
—Cornell News Service
