Congratulations to Professor Langdon Hammer, who was recently named recipient of the 2011 Graduate Mentor Award in the Humanities. This award recognizes teachers and advisors who have been exceptional in their support of the professional, scholarly and personal development of their students. Since the inception of this award nine years ago, Yale graduate students have submitted over 600 nomination letters. This year’s nomination letters about Professor Hammer provide insight into why he was nominated:
“… he has been utterly attentive to me as his advisee while projecting a contagious sense of confidence in what I am doing”. “He meets me where I am, takes me seriously, and inevitably transforms anxieties into opportunities”. “He believed in the value of my project when it was just the shadow of an idea that I struggled to express, and after three years of work he continues to guide me toward both stronger ideas and clearer expressions at every turn.” “… what I appreciate most about Lanny, however, are his numerous small acts of kindness and attention which remind me that, despite many hours reading and writing in solitude, I am not alone in this enterprise.”