Professor Mark D’Amico awarded Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award
Mark M. D’Amico, professor of higher education in the Cato College of Education, is the 2026 recipient of the Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award. D’Amico was honored during the Spring Faculty Awards ceremony on Tuesday, April 28.
The Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award honors its namesake, an exceptional teacher, scholar and researcher, and devoted servant of her profession and community. The award is given annually to the faculty member whose commitment to students, research and scholarly inquiry most closely exemplifies the spirit of de Silva.
D’Amico has built a mentoring legacy that is both far‑reaching and deeply personal. He has served on 70 dissertation committees, chaired or co-chaired 26 dissertations, and co‑authored 28 publications with 26 current and former graduate students whose careers now span faculty roles, vice presidencies, system-level leadership and national policy work.
Since joining the University in 2009, D’Amico has distinguished himself as a nationally recognized scholar in community college research, transfer and workforce education. He has authored more than 50 peer‑reviewed articles, 13 book chapters and more than 50 research and policy reports, and secured more than $12 million in external grant funding that has directly supported graduate assistantships and student research opportunities.
“Dr. D’Amico possesses an exceptional capacity to build rapport with students, provide personalized and timely support, and hold students accountable while remaining deeply invested in their long‑term success,” said a colleague. “His mentorship does not end at graduation — it evolves into collaboration and collegial partnership.”
In addition to D’Amico, two other faculty members and the Thomas L. Reynolds Center for Graduate Life & Learning were recognized during the Spring Faculty Awards ceremony.
Alicia Dahl, associate professor of epidemiology and community health in the College of Health and Human Services, was named the recipient of the Bonnie E. Cone Early-Career Professorship in Teaching; Martha Kropf, professor of political science and public administration in the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences, received the Bonnie E. Cone Professorship for Civic Engagement; and the Thomas L. Reynolds Center for Graduate Life & Learning was recognized with the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Student Success.
This is the second consecutive year a Cato College faculty member has earned the de Silva Award. Sejal Foxx was one of two honorees in 2025, and she and D’Amico celebrated together at last month’s ceremony.
