Wilbert Hites mentoring award, Brian Powell

"I can think of no colleague with whom I’ve worked in my 21 years here at IU who more personifies the role of mentor or who is more deserving of the Wilbert Hites Mentoring Award."

—Robert V. Robinson, professor of sociology

From students navigating unfamiliar territory to senior faculty in need of a sounding board for professional dilemmas, Brian Powell is an equal-opportunity mentor.

This mentoring spirit, inside and outside the classroom, is infectious, it seems. With Powell’s guidance, the Department of Sociology’s Preparing Future Faculty program is a national exemplar of how to provide formal and informal mentoring to graduate students on issues of teaching, the university as community and academic careers.

Powell has taught some of the largest undergraduate sociology courses offered by the department and, of course, keeps formal office hours. It’s his informal open-door policy, however, that endears him to students. Colleagues remark that it’s common to see students in Powell’s office at all hours—days, nights, and weekends—seeking career advice, clarification on a class reading or an encouraging word.

Scores of former students consider this encouragement instrumental in their decision to attend graduate school—and many keep in touch with Powell throughout their careers, be they tenure-track professors or securities lawyers. Each year, more than 100 alumni write or call Powell with updates on their lives.

A renowned expert on a range of social issues, Powell readily collaborates with graduate students on major projects, publishing in areas of traditional scholarship as well as in the field of teaching and learning.