By Marcus Jensen | Utah State University
PRICE, Utah — Two members of the Department of English at Utah State University Eastern have earned the Benson Mentoring Award.
Jeremy Ricketts, lecturer in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, was named the department Benson Mentoring Lecturer Faculty Recipient. Michaelann Nelson, associate professor for CHaSS, was the Tenure Line Faculty Recipient.
“These are two outstanding individuals on our campus, and we could not be prouder to have them recognized,” said Doug Miller, chief campus administrator at USU Eastern. “Mentorship is something our faculty pride themselves in, and these two are excellent examples of that.”
The Benson Mentoring award is endowed by Daren and Brigeta Benson to support and recognize exceptional mentoring efforts by English faculty. Understanding how important mentoring can be for student success, the Bensons have endowed this award to see those efforts rewarded. It is awarded every spring, and nominations are solicited from students and USU faculty. Award winners are selected by a group of former Benson award winners, who evaluate all nominees.
Nelson joined the USU Eastern faculty in 2016 and founded the Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society Chapter on the Eastern campus, serving as faculty adviser. In 2022, she expanded this chapter to include other Statewide Campuses. Nelson remembers the early days of her time as faculty adviser.
“At one point in the early days, I was baking 400 cookies in a tiny kitchen for a fundraiser and spending hours to find funding to take students to the annual conference,” she said. “Every year, it seemed, there was one student who had never been on a plane, and it has been so rewarding to not only facilitate these research opportunities, but to also be able to expand the worldviews of students through cultural opportunities and travel. I would do it no matter what, but it is so nice to have all of the sacrifices and short nights recognized by my peers.”
In addition to this role, Nelson mentors tutors as director of the Writing Center on the USU Eastern campus and continually seeks to be a mentor to her students. In her nomination letter, Nelson says that mentoring is her favorite part of her job.
Ricketts joined the USU Eastern faculty as a lecturer in January 2023 and has been an instructor at USU since 2021. He seeks to establish connections with his students and adapt his courses to their needs, allowing for accountability, flexibility, and growth. He is also the associate director of Concurrent Enrollment for English at USU Eastern and works with many teachers who in turn become mentors to students. He is grateful for this award.
“Receiving the Benson Mentoring Award is a deeply meaningful honor,” Ricketts said. “Working with students is the most rewarding part of teaching, and this recognition reflects all of the incredible things our students are doing that continually amaze and inspire me. I feel privileged to support that work in any way I can.”
In addition to his course load, Ricketts has been heavily involved in USU’s Faculty-to-Student Statewide Mentoring Program, where he works with students in the Statewide system to discuss goals, navigate challenges and build trusting relationships.
He works with students in Logan, Kaysville, Tooele, Blanding, Brigham City, Vernal, Roosevelt, Moab and Price and does his best to go to as many campuses as he can each semester. He tries to meet every single one of his mentees in person, which has continually been appreciated by all students.