Professor Lyon recognized for exemplary mentoring

USC Law Professor Tom Lyon received a 2005 Award for Excellence in Mentoring at an honors reception held April 19. The award, offered for the first time this year, is sponsored by the USC Mellon Academic Mentoring Support Program whose prime directive is to support and enhance both student learning and faculty development.

Lyon (pictured left), who holds a joint appointment to USC’s department of psychology, was one of three USC professors honored for exemplary mentoring of undergraduate students.  Sixteen others were recognized for their work with other members of the university community.

Funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the awards were presented to faculty members and graduate students who demonstrate excellence in mentoring by guiding and nurturing collegial and professional development. In addition to honoring individuals, the awards aim to highlight the winners as role models for the entire campus community.

“I enjoy mentoring more and more as I grow older, in part because my students seem to grow younger,” Lyon said in a statement about his mentoring. “What once was empathic anxiety now feels like paternal understanding. … The one disadvantage is that I sometimes have trouble remembering how hard it is to be a young student, how stung one is by even the mildest criticism, and how important it is to have an advisor who lets you know when you’ve done a good job. I think I’m best when I can see students as both children and adults.”

For a list of all award winners and recipients of honorable mention, visit www.usc.edu/mentoring.