Dr. Janice McGregor, Assistant Professor of German Studies, is the recipient of the College of Humanities 2023 Distinguished Undergraduate Advising/Mentoring Award.
“Her advising philosophy could be adopted as a playbook on best advising and mentoring practices. Her emphasis on building relationships, on emphasizing trust and intentionally meeting individual students where their needs are, and showing them what possibilities majoring/minoring in German hold, reflect current cutting-edge research on effective advising,” wrote Department Head Barbara Kosta in nominating McGregor for the honor.
McGregor serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies and faculty advisor for German Studies, and also oversees and supervises the German Student Club and summer study abroad program in Leipzig. Numerous students wrote letters in support of McGregor, citing their positive experiences in situations that span each of McGregor’s various roles, both in and out of the classroom.
“Rare. A simple word to describe an incredible professor. Dr. Janice McGregor is one of the few
people that can truly connect with her students and create environments where they can openly express themselves both creatively and intellectually,” wrote one student. “Dr. McGregor is very approachable with the natural ability to have genuine interactions with the full spectrum of students. I strongly believe that one of her main gifts is being able to tune into each student’s inner language.”
“From my initial meeting with Dr. McGregor, it was clear that she cares deeply about how her
students are really doing — personally and academically. Not only that, but she devotes copious effort to genuinely getting to know each of us and learning about what we are passionate,” wrote another. “Even now, after I graduated, I know Dr McGregor cares about me and continues to support my academic journey.”
Another student, who studied abroad in Leipzig with McGregor, wrote:
“Dr. McGregor helped to make sure that the trip went as smoothly as possible and helped us students branch out and explore the city. For example, she would organize outings to different places in Leipzig, and gave out specific tasks that would encourage us to explore the city. She also helped us find smaller parts of the Leipzig culture that we might otherwise have missed, which helped us learn about the smaller parts of German culture that help tie the city together. Dr. McGregor helped me branch out and become more comfortable with both the German language and culture and helped make both more understandable for me.”
At McGregor’s encouragement, another student applied for a scholarship to study at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich.
“It was an incredible opportunity that I wouldn’t have had the confidence for or support for without Dr. McGregor. She naturally creates such a judgment-free environment that really allowed me to feel deserving of the support she provided. I would’ve never believed that I would be chosen to receive a study abroad scholarship if it weren’t for her encouragement.”
“Mentors and professors are meant to be lifelong trusted guides and Dr. McGregor exceeds the criteria of an exceptional one. I know for a fact that students such as myself are not successful in their future careers without remarkable mentorship. Her profound knowledge of different cultures, the German language and multilingualism helps make her mentoring and teaching more than simply talking to students. Her teaching style is sharing subjects she is passionate about, which in turn motivates us as students/mentees to find subjects we’re eager about too. In sum, she is the type of professor that words aren’t enough to describe how wunderbar she is,” wrote another former student.