Academics

Oliver earns 2021 Rosemary Schraer Mentoring Award

Mary Beth Oliver, Donald P. Bellisario Professor of Media Studies and co-director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory, is the recipient of Penn State's 2021 Rosemary Schraer Mentoring Award.

Mary Beth Oliver Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

The Rosemary Schraer Mentoring Award, established in 1994 by family, friends and colleagues of Rosemary Schraer, a former associate provost of Penn State, is presented each year to a University employee who exemplifies Schraer’s giving of herself as a mentor and who has voluntarily, over a period of time, helped others recognize and achieve their potential. Consideration is given to employees who have a record of outstanding mentoring service that goes beyond the requirements of their employment duties and responsibilities.

Nominators said Oliver’s students credit her for changing their lives, inspiring their work and instilling in them a moral compass that guides them throughout their careers in media. They also praised her role as a “fierce advocate” for women of color, empowering them to become teachers, scholars and leaders.

“I can say that she has single-handedly increased the diversity of the field of media psychology through her mentoring of students of color, international students and first-generation students,” a nominator said.

An internationally renowned scholar on race and media and positive psychology, Oliver is known for incorporating her students into her work. She has co-authored more than 50 journal articles and book chapters with current and former students. She’s advised more than two dozen doctoral candidates — 14 women, seven of whom are of color — as well as master’s degree and undergraduate students. Many of her students have gone on to earn tenure-track positions at universities such as The University of Boston, Texas A&M, Florida State, Louisiana State University and Clemson. She’s also one of the youngest recipients of the International Communication Association’s mentorship award.

“Oliver personifies the spirit of this award through her selfless generosity that has paved the way for so many of her students and colleagues to realize their personal and professional dreams,” a nominator said. “She is one of the most intellectually open, humble and genuinely caring mentors I know. She sets a standard for what a good mentor, scholar, teacher and engaged citizen of a community should be.”

 

Last Updated April 22, 2021