Electrical Engineering Professor Awarded Mentor of the Year

Tampa, Fla. (October 14, 2009) – Dr. Shekhar Bhansali, professor of electrical engineering, has been name the Sloan Minority Ph.D. Program Faculty Mentor of the Year by the southern Regional Education Board, Atlanta.

Nominated by Julio Medrano, a doctoral student in electrical engineering working with Dr. Richard Gitlin, professor of electrical engineering, and Dr. Mark Jaroszeski, associate professor of chemical and biomedical engineering, at the 2009 annual Compact for Faculty Diversity Institute on Teaching and Mentoring, Dr. Bhansali will receive his award October 24 in Arlington, Va. In his nomination of Dr. Bhansali, Medrano stated that his commitment and dedication to the program made him worthy of the honor.

“I am humbled at receiving this award. It is a pleasure and privilege to interact with these doctoral students, each of whom is changing the world one person at a time, said Dr. Bhansali. “The Sloan, McKnight and Bridge to Doctorate programs have resulted in a six-fold increase in minority doctoral students in the College of Engineering and a 15-fold increase in the number of nationally recognized fellowships (~ $5 million) in the past 5 years.”

Founded in 1948, the Southern Regional Education Board is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with leaders and policy-makers in 16 member states to improve pre-K through postsecondary education. Through many nationally recognized programs and services

The Southern Regional Education Board seeks to recognize those faculty mentors who have provided outstanding service and commitment as a mentor to a doctoral scholar in the Sloan Minority Ph.D. Program. Only one faculty member is publicly recognized each year from the program.