The Locke-Paisley Outstanding Mentoring Award was given to Patrick Mullen, assistant professor of counselor education in the William & Mary School of Education, during the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES) annual conference in Myrtle Beach Oct 11-13, 2018.
According to SACES, the award is “to acknowledge individual educators from the SACES region whose mentorship impacts students and colleagues in extensive ways.” The nomination has to be made by students who have been impacted by the nominee, and is not based on the nominee’s career achievements. For the purpose of the award, SACES defines mentoring as “the process of guiding, supporting, and promoting the education and career development of others.”
“Dr. Mullen's mentoring efforts help students successfully navigate the academic process and excel after graduation. His award demonstrates the dedication our faculty have in supporting student and creating safe spaces for them to thrive. We hope to continue to mirror such efforts throughout all of our programs,” said Natoya Haskins, associate professor of counselor education at the W&M School of Education, and president of SACES for 2018. The SACES region includes 14 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Mullen was nominated by doctoral students Nancy Chae and Sean Newhart, who both highlighted his open-door policy and commitment to building relationships with students in their letters of support.
“Over time, I realized that Dr. Mullen saw — and continues to see — potential that I neglected to see for myself. He continues to consider me for research and service projects, connect me to faculty inside and outside of William & Mary as networking opportunities to gain diverse perspectives about the profession, educate me about the ins and out of the counselor education profession, and take the time and careful consideration to write countless letters of recommendations for me for multiple professional opportunities,” wrote Chae in her nomination letter.
Newhart also emphasized Mullen’s role in mentoring him as a researcher.
"His mentorship led me to collaborate on six research projects with Dr. Mullen during my time at William & Mary, which has resulted in one publication, two manuscripts in review, and three studies in progress,” Newhart explained in his nomination letter.
Both Chae and Newhart believe Mullen’s mentoring will have a lasting positive impact on the trajectory of their academic and professional careers.
“It was a really meaningful nomination and award to received, and I am grateful for it,” said Mullen, adding that in 2012 as a doctoral student, he nominated one of his mentors, W. Bryce Hagedorn, program director of the counselor education program at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Hagedorn received the award based on that nomination. “To get this award is extra meaningful because it has gone full circle.”