For 32 years, Catherine Sherwood-Laughlin has made it her mission to support her students at Indiana University—on campus and beyond.
It comes as no surprise, then, that the IU Office of Student Life should award her the 2024 Gordon Faculty Award. Presented annually to one IU faculty member from across the entire Bloomington campus, the award recognizes faculty contributions to the office’s mission, vision and values "through interacting with and attending to students in both the curricular and co-curricular areas."
"It was a surprise, and I am very honored to be acknowledged," says Dr. Sherwood-Laughlin. "The students are the reason why the university exists, and why I get to do a job every day that I love."
Dr. Sherwood-Laughlin is a clinical professor and assistant chair in the Department of Applied Health Science. Her journey of student support began in 1992 while she was pursuing her Doctorate of Health and Safety (H.S.D.)—and began teaching undergraduate courses at IU. At that time, there were few resources and little support for graduate students to help them prepare to teach undergraduate students. Subsequently, the department began providing a one-day workshop for graduate teaching faculty during an orientation, and when Sherwood-Laughlin became assistant chair in 2008, she transformed this practice to a 16-week pedagogy course.
"They take my course, but they don’t teach until the second eight weeks," says Dr. Sherwood-Laughlin. "They continue to come to my class for support, questions, and guidance through-first time teaching."
Dr. Sherwood-Laughlin says the course is still required even if the students have teaching experience, mainly so they can explore all the resources IU has to offer. Senior Associate Dean of Students and Director of Student Conduct Libby Spotts, whose team nominated Dr. Sherwood-Laughlin for the award, often guest-lectures in the course about preventing academic misconduct.
"They may know the mechanics of teaching, but they are still teaching at IU for the first time," says Dr. Sherwood-Laughlin.
In addition to supporting doctoral students, Dr. Sherwood-Laughlin has served on the Bloomington Faculty Council, is a faculty representative on the Office of Student Ethics' Student Academic and Behavioral Misconduct Board, and is co-chair of the Student Affairs Committee (SAC) with fellow faculty member Dr. Bill Ramos. In 2014, Sherwood-Laughlin was awarded the school’s Distinguished Service Award with the Tony and Mary Hulman Health Achievement Award for her work as past president of the Indiana Public Health Association. Her recent committee work has included reviewing codes and policies related to the Code of Student Conduct, and helping clarify the process for students on what happens if—to use a common example—a student submits plagiarized work. She also helps ensure that students in this situation get a fair hearing under a committee of faculty and student peers.
"The university views these events as a learning experience," she says. "They don’t want it to be punitive or something that is going to scar them for the rest of their lives."
Dr. Sherwood-Laughlin turns to a quotation by Herman B Wells' book Being Lucky that sums up her passion for her work: "By keeping close to students, one is reminded that they are a major reason for the existence of the university, and certainly the major reason why the state supports the institution."
"It is very humbling to be acknowledged as an advocate for students because this is what I am doing every day as part of my job," she adds. "[This award] validates what I do and what I am supposed to be doing."
For more stories about SPH-B students, faculty and staff making an impact locally and worldwide, visit go.iu.edu/48bx.