Outstanding Faculty Advising & Mentorship Award for Jungyun Gill

The Outstanding Faculty Advising & Mentorship Award is given to a full-time faculty member who demonstrates Stonehill’s commitment to the academic, professional and personal development of each student and has had a markedly positive influence on students through their advising and mentoring. In 2023, Stonehill College is proud to bestow the Outstanding Faculty Advising & Mentorship Award on Professor Jungyun Gill. 

Your commitment to Stonehill’s mission is abundantly clear to all who work with you. You have shown exceptional dedication and leadership in the role of student advisor and mentor; your care for students, particularly around DEI issues, is outstanding and inspirational. Your willingness to better our Stonehill community is demonstrated by these words from colleagues who nominated you for this recognition. 

Jungyun has gone above and beyond to support her students in all aspects of their lives, from helping them navigate challenges to celebrating their successes. Her dedication, knowledge, and mentorship have profoundly impacted her student's success. Jungyun challenges her mentees to think critically, take risks, and pursue their passions. She also takes the time to understand each student's unique goals and interests, tailoring her guidance and support accordingly. Overall, Jungyun is an exceptional mentor who embodies the qualities and values of the College. 

Professor Gill is sought out by students for mentorship beyond what a normal advisor would be because of her passionate concern for students and their success as well as her identity as a woman of color. Jungyun never seems to stop. Professor Gill's recent SURE collaboration with Gianna Barboza and Sadé Ratliff highlights how impactful her mentorship is. Involving students directly in research about K-pop, a diverse team of women investigated the complexities and effects of a cross cultural phenomenon, shedding light on various intersectional aspects of national and international communities. Professor Gill has a profound and disproportionate positive impact on our students. I know because they've told me for years. Her brilliance and generosity are lauded eagerly and consistently. Students say she's amazing, and I concur. 

While I have long been aware of the strong relationships Jungyun has built with her students, I first saw this directly three years ago, during the Scholar Strike for Racial Justice event. Jungyun led a session with the director of Intercultural Affairs and five students. She was the only faculty member to include students as leaders of her session. I was deeply impressed by how Jungyun used the opportunity not just to share her own scholarly expertise, but to let her students show their own leadership, knowledge, and personal experience. It was a moving model of inclusive, equitable, active, engaged pedagogy. Her students and advisees are so lucky to have her wisdom and guidance.

Professor Gill goes above and beyond to support her students and her faculty as chair of the Sociology and Anthropology Department. She is always available, encouraging of students' ideas, and responsive to their needs. She is a steady source of support for students and faculty of color. As a woman on campus who is a contingent faculty member (visiting professor), Professor Gill has included me and welcomed me into the community. She has made me feel heard and valued in our department. I am deeply grateful for the work Professor Gill does and I know our students are as well! 

And so, with deep pride, we confer the 2023 Outstanding Faculty Advising & Mentorship Award to you, Professor Jungyun Gill, for your tireless service, consistent example, and exemplary contributions to Stonehill College. 

Given this 4th day of May, Two Thousand Twenty-Three 

(Rev.) John Denning, C.S.C., President

Peter Ubertaccio, Ph.D., Vice President for Academic Affairs