Frank Whitehead, Graduate Services Coordinator for the School of International Languages, Literatures and Cultures, is the recipient of the Graduate Program Coordinator Outstanding Contributions Award.
The Graduate College created the award in 2024 to recognize and honor exceptional dedication and outstanding contributions by graduate program coordinators. The Graduate College selects one recipient per year during the spring semester and these individuals receive a $1,500 award.
“Graduate Program Coordinators are the backbone of our graduate programs and the efforts from these individuals are directly linked to graduate student success,” said Kirsten Limesand, Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate College.
Whitehead has served as the sole graduate program coordinator for SILLC since 2014, supporting five separate academic departments that offer a wide range of internationally focused graduate programs and employ more than 100 graduate students as teaching assistants. While working full time in his role, he also earned Ph.D. in History from the University of Arizona in 2021.
One nomination letter, from SILLC Director Karen Seat; Department Heads Carine Bourget, Barbara Kosta and Wenhao Diao; and College of Humanities deans, noted that Whitehead’s office is adorned with souvenirs from China, Japan, Ghana, Iran and other countries, presented as gifts from graduate students for his help throughout the application, hiring and degree completion processes.
“Dr. Whitehead is a crucial pillar of the educational mission and operations of SILLC. We rely heavily on his detailed knowledge of the Graduate College’s procedures and policies and his ability to navigate the challenges of international programming with utmost care and professionalism,” they wrote. “He has performed impeccably, far beyond any expectations, even as he has shouldered an incredibly heavy and complex workload. He has never failed to be reliable, accountable, effective and collaborative.”
Additional nomination letters highlight Whitehead’s efforts going above and beyond in solving particularly difficult issues with visas and travel for specific international students. Another letter, from directors of graduate studies in Classics, German Studies and East Asian Studies, noted Whitehead’s knack for offering solutions to difficult issues in a College with graduate students and faculty from nearly every continent and a wide range of cultural expectations.
“Frank has helped us weather times of great change and uncertainty in graduate education, such as the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on all, but especially also international students far from home and those from diverse backgrounds, who were disproportionately affected in various ways,” they wrote. “In all aspects of his work, Frank has built a culture of trust and stability around graduate education coordination in the College that is shared by staff, faculty and graduate students alike.”