Three professors honored at Alumni Association Faculty Mentor Awards ceremony Nov. 16
At the annual Faculty Mentor Awards luncheon on Sunday, Nov. 16, three faculty members were honored by the Pacific Alumni Association for their extraordinary role as lifelong mentors of Pacific students and alumni and encouraging alumni as mentors of current students.
Professor Keith Hatschek, program director of the Music Management Program in the Conservatory of Music; Gary Martin, assistant dean in the School of Engineering and Computer Science; and Alan Ray, assistant professor of communication in the College of the Pacific, received the Golden Apple Award along with acknowledgement for the many ways they have made a difference in the lives of Pacificans through the years.
Keith Hatschek, Conservatory of Music
Prior to coming to Pacific, Hatschek had a very successful career in the music industry. But when a friend asked him to substitute for his night class at San Francisco State, he discovered how much he loved teaching. He joined the faculty of the Conservatory of Music in 2001, and today directs the Music Management Program.
"I enjoy helping students prepare for lives that they want to live, doing what they want to do," said Hatschek.
"Professor Hatschek deserves this award because he always goes above and beyond for his students," said Shannon Moore '11 in her nomination letter. "Between my junior and senior years, we pitched a few ideas, such as starting a music business on campus and learning how to run live sound. Now, Pac Ave Records is releasing music annually, and a live sound workshop has become a regular class. Without Professor Hatschek's assistance and guidance these opportunities would not be possible."
Alumni are also an important part of Professor Hatschek's curriculum.
"Pacific alumni are changing the music industry," Hatschek says. He makes sure to bring alumni into the classroom to talk about current industry trends and what both the faculty and the students should be paying attention to. Alumni are also providing internships and are hiring his students following graduation.
Hatschek's book, How to Get a Job in the Music Industry, will be released from Berklee Press in January in its third edition. In it he acknowledges the importance mentors played in his life, such as his father and his own music industry mentor, who encouraged him to take bold steps and get out of his comfort zone, first from production, to sales and then to innovator.
"Students are always speaking admiringly of Professor Hatschek's capacity to get them to think clearly about the issues, of his dedication to their work and of his ability to blend traditional teaching and experiential learning to get them ready for a career," said Conservatory of Music Dean Giulio Ongaro.
"He guided me through my time at Pacific and still guides me now that I have graduated. The respect I hold for him is unparalleled," said Moore.
Gary Martin, School of Engineering and Computer Science
Since coming to Pacific in 1983, Gary Martin has been providing guidance to Pacific's Engineering students. He says his primary goal was to help each individual recognize and reach their capacity as a student and as a person.
Martin says he has learned as much about mentoring from his students as he did in the classroom. He enjoys listening to the students' stories and challenges and finds joy and satisfaction in helping them find solutions. More often than not it is a simple solution, and the student is able to find a path and follow it to success. More importantly, the student has found a mentor who will continue to provide personal attention and support whenever needed. In his nomination letter, Luis Torres '97 credits Martin as a key factor in his development and career aspirations.
"His motivation, constant communication, and long hours of checking on my progress helped me complete my degree," said Torres. "He knows me as student, person, parent and professional. He becomes part of your family and you always know that he is just a phone call away."
"Gary Martin has the ability to spend a little time with a student, see their potential, believe in what they can accomplish, and transmit that belief to the student. I saw this happen over and over and I experienced it myself," said Keith Walker '05, Pacific Alumni Association 2014 Outstanding Young Alumni Award recipient.
Martin is recognized as the backbone of the School's Co-op Program, having served as its coordinator and director for more than 25 years. He enjoyed connecting alumni to students through the program and is excited that alumni are hiring Pacific graduates in record numbers. His book, Welcome to the Professional World, is in its third edition and is used in classes that prepare students for their co-op experience.
He also founded the Pacific's MESA program and served as the Delta College Pipeline Coordinator, two programs that cultivate the next generation of engineers. Today, as an assistant dean, he continues to teach the engineers of tomorrow.
"I have the privilege of reaching out to alumni, and a significant number of them talk about people at Pacific who have changed their lives," said Steven Howell, dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science. "Gary Martin is always at the top of the list." Howell spoke of one such alumnus from the 1980s who claims he would have dropped out of school and gone nowhere if Martin had not spent time mentoring him and redirecting him through his international co-op. "That alumnus is now a CEO of a major international civil engineering firm," Howell continued," and he gratefully acknowledges Gary as being responsible for his success."
Alan Ray, College of the Pacific.
Alan Ray, assistant professor of Communication, came to Pacific in 1987. He says his commitment to his students grew out of the compassion he had for them personally. Each and every student has a different story and he loves to hear them and learn about the challenges each student faces, not only in the classroom but in their lives.
"During the course of creating opportunities and possibilities in media fields, Dr. Ray has developed deep, lasting relationships with his students," said Qingwen Dong, chair of the Communication Department in the College of the Pacific. "They become more than just alumni; they become lifelong colleagues and friends."
Arabella di Bagno Guidi '05 nominated Ray because of his commitment and never-ending mentoring of his students and alumni.
"He listens to his students and adjusts his curriculum to meet our interests and needs." said di Bagno Guidi.
"Mentoring is what makes the job interesting," says Dr. Ray. With each student he is able to learn something about their background, their needs, and the issues they deal with day to day. He lets students into his life, sharing with them his help and possible solutions to some of their problems. He has even shared his home on occasion.
Now he his helping his current students learn to network with his former students, Pacific alumni whom he continues to mentor long after graduation. Alumni are providing some of the most powerful mentoring experiences to current students. Ray estimates that he is personally in touch with as many as 100 alumni in various entertainment, news and public relations positions and he does not hesitate to put his students in touch with them.
He says one of the most rewarding relationships he's had with his students was through the Guild Internship Program. From 1992 to 2009 Ray and former regent Ralph Guild '50 operated a summer internship program that allowed Pacific students to work and live in New York City. The 18 alumni who had that internship experience are working successfully in communication careers today. And he is still in close contact with them to this day.
