Robert A. & Donna B. Paul Awards for Excellence in Mentoring and Advising
Established in 1992, the Robert A. and Donna B. Paul Endowment for Academic Advising enables the College of Arts & Sciences to honor undergraduate advisers who make a difference in the lives of their Cornell students. The awards are open to professorial faculty, lecturers and senior lecturers who have demonstrated exceptional effectiveness as an adviser and/or mentor of undergraduates, either through a formal advising role or through other substantial interactions with individual undergraduates outside of the classroom.
The Paul Advising Award is given to two individuals annually; each recipient receives one-half an academic year’s salary and fringe benefits for a leave that is taken within the next three years.
Eligibility
Eligible Title:
Professorial faculty, lecturers and senior lecturers
Criteria:
Exceptional effectiveness as an advisor and/or mentor of undergraduates, either through a formal advising role or through other substantial interactions with individual undergraduates outside of the classroom
Available Awards:
One award - one-half an academic year’s salary and fringe benefits for a leave to be taken within the next three years
Nomination Process
Students:
To nominate an adviser, send a letter to the department chair by February 10th, 2023.
Chairs and Directors of Undergraduate Studies:
All nomination packages must be submitted to the dean by either a department chair or a director of undergraduate studies. The 2023 nomination submission deadline is Friday, March 10th, 2023.
Each nomination must include:
- Chair’s nomination letter, written in collaboration with the director of undergraduate studies, describing the extent and character of the nominee’s work as an advisor and/or mentor of undergraduate students
- Candidate’s CV
All materials in the nomination package should be submitted as a single pdf.
Click here to submit a nomination package.
Questions should be directed to the Arts & Sciences Awards Committee
About Robert Paul
Elected to the Cornell University Board of Trustees in 1990, Robert Paul '59 was named trustee emeritus and presidential councillor in 2002. During his tenure on the Board of Trustees, Paul served as chair of the Investment Committee, and was a member of the Executive Committee and the Committee on Alumni Affairs and Development. A member of the College of Arts & Sciences Advisory Council from 1989 to 2013, Paul served as co-chair of the college's "Creating the Future" campaign. An animal and pet lover, Paul joined the College of Veterinary Medicine Advisory Council in 2006. Active with the Class of 1959, Paul served as chair of the class' 50th Reunion Campaign Major Gifts/Gift Planning Committee.
Paul served as Chairman and CEO of Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation (AP) from 2004 to 2014, where he began his career in 1964. He is also chairman of The Louis Berkman Company, president of the Louis and Sandra Berkman Foundation and a life trustee of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation of Pittsburgh. He has served on the board of trustees of the Pittsburgh branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, is a former chairman of Montefiore Hospital, and a trustee emeritus of the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh Health System.
Two of Paul's three children are Cornellians: Karen Paul Zimmer AB '91, MD '98 and Stephen Paul BS Hotel '90.
Recipients
2022-23
- Kendra Bischoff, sociology
2021-22
- Alex Ophir, psychology
2020-21
- Kelly Liu, molecular biology and genetics
- Phillip Milner, chemistry and chemical biology
2018-19
- Ananda Cohen-Aponte, history of art and visual studies
- Khena Swallow, psychology
2017-18
- Edward Swartz, mathematics
- Vivian Zayas, psychology
2016-17
- Margo Crawford, English
2015-16
- Linda Nicholson, molecular biology and genetics
2014-15
- Jane Juffer, English and feminist, gender and sexuality studies
2013-14
- Caitlin Barrett, classics
- Kate McCullough, English
2012-13
- Jane Fajans, anthropology
- Erich Mueller, physics
2011-12
- Alison Van Dyke, theatre, film & dance
- Dagmawi Woubshet, English
2010-11
- Stephen Morgan, sociology
- Shelley Wong, English
2009-10
- Holly Case, history
- Debra Fried, English
- Michael Goldstein, psychology
2008-09
- Derek Chang, history
- Roger Gilbert, English
- Kelly Zamudio, ecology & evolutionary biology
2007-08
- Laura Donaldson, English
- Kathleen Perry Long, Romance studies
2006-07
- John Whitman, linguistics
- Barry Maxwell, comparative literature
2005-06
- Steven Pond, music
- Mariana Wolfner, molecular biology and genetics
2004-05
- Robin McNeal, Asian studies
- Andrew Galloway, English
2003-04
- Szonja Szelenyi, sociology
- Michael Koch, English
2002-03
- Stuart Davis, English
- Walter Mebane, government
2001-02
- Christopher Way, government
2000-01
- Ken McClane, English
1999-00
- Dorothy Mermin, English
1998-99
- Davydd Greenwood, anthropology
1997-98
- Lydia Fakundiny, English
- Glenn Altschuler, dean of continuing education and summer sessions
1996-97
- Richard Galik, physics
- Charles Van Loan, computer science
1995-96
- Michael Morley, mathematics
1994-95
- Jane Marie Law, Asian studies
- Harry Stinson, genetics
1993-94
- Laurence Moore, government
- Donald Fredricksen, theatre arts
1992-93
- Martha Haynes, astronomy
1991-92
- Patricia Carden, Russian literature
- Marshall Cohen, mathematics