Brian Jacob, Walter H. Annenberg Professor of Education Policy at the Ford School, Co-Director of the Education Policy Initiative (EPI) and Youth Policy Lab (YPL), and faculty director of the Ford School’s joint-doctoral program, was named as a recipient of the Rackham Distinguished Graduate Mentor award on April 22, 2019. He is one of five faculty members named this cycle.
The honor is given to tenured faculty across any discipline at the University who have demonstrated superior mentorship of doctoral students, cultivating their mentees' “intellectual, creative, scholarly, and professional growth,” as well as fostering “a culture of intellectual engagement in which they thrive.”
Jacob exemplifies both through his position as the faculty director of the Ford School’s joint-doctoral program for the past four years, which included a curriculum review that reenergized the advisory committee. His reach extends to the founding of two successful research centers, EPI and YPL, both of which have attracted $12.5 million in grants and awards. “Brian coaches the next generation of education policy researchers, mentoring them on how they can build positive and productive relationships with policymakers and practitioners to whom the result of cutting-edge research studies will mean most,” said EPI associate director Nicole Wager.
When discussing their experience with Jacob and his efforts, several students shared that his programs create “a rich community of scholars.” This award acknowledges the many avenues Jacob has taken to nurture such an environment at the Ford school and beyond.
Read more about the award, which was recognized on April 22, here.
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