SIUE’s Dr. Valerie Griffin Receives Inaugural Graduate Faculty Mentor Award
The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Graduate School has awarded the inaugural Graduate Faculty Mentor Award to Valerie Griffin, DNP, associate professor and program director in the School of Nursing.
The purpose of the Graduate Faculty Mentor Award is to recognize graduate faculty who have demonstrated excellence in supporting the success of graduate students through outstanding mentoring. Nominations are made by graduate faculty peers and the awardee is chosen by the Graduate Student Awards Committee. As 2025 is the inaugural year for the award, Griffin is the first SIUE faculty member to receive this honor.
“Receiving this award is truly humbling,” said Griffin. “I’m fortunate to work alongside such an incredible group of faculty who are deeply committed to supporting our students and helping them achieve their goals. It’s an incredible honor to be recognized by those I respect and admire so deeply.”
Reflecting on her many years of mentoring graduate students, Griffin commented, “I love supporting them through their courses, but what brings me the most joy is seeing them complete the program, pass their boards, and go on to become outstanding providers. Being even a small part of their journey is a blessing.”
Griffin serves as the program director for the family nurse practitioner and psychiatric mental health doctorate in nursing programs. She maintains dual certification as a Family and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and has her Pediatric Primary Care Mental Health Specialization. She has been a nurse practitioner for thirty years and has served as faculty at the SIUE School of Nursing for the last twenty. She currently practices in pediatric primary care, serves at the Madison County Health Department, and is a Fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
Griffin’s many nominations praised the holistic mentoring she has provided to nurse practitioner students, including support of students’ scholarly achievements, professional development, and career success. Annie Imboden, assistant professor in the School of Nursing, commented that “through her mentorship and encouragement, many of her students have gone on to become leaders in the field, including professors, instructors, and healthcare executives.”
“Excellent faculty mentorship fundamentally shapes graduate students’ experiences as rising scholars and researchers in their respective fields,” said Liz Cali, PhD, interim Associate Dean of the Graduate School. “To be able to recognize the transformative impact our faculty mentors have on our students’ professional and personal growth is both a pleasure and a commitment the Graduate School is happy to make.”
Griffin will be recognized at the Graduate School’s Fall Awards Reception in October and will receive a $500 honorarium in recognition for her outstanding contributions to graduate education.
PHOTO: Valerie Griffin, DNP, associate professor and program director in the School of Nursing, winner of SIUE’s inaugural Graduate Faculty Mentor Award
