2017

R. Michael Alvarez (Cal Tech)

Selection committee: Maya Sen (Harvard, chair), Philip Schrodt (Parus Analytics) and Henry Brady (Berkeley) 

Citation:

Professor Alvarez stood out both because of the number of letters of support and also because of their breath and scope. Many letters lauded his indefatigable dedication and loyalty to his students, with several former students noting that they still turn to Professor Alvarez for advice and guidance. For example, one writer noted that, "[l]oyalty, transparency, keeping the student's interests front and center, and remembering that there's more to life than one's career: these describe what I see as Mike's guiding principles."  Another writes,  "he loves his research, but he also genuinely loves working with his students and seeing them develop into scholars in their own right." A former student humorously noted that Mike was "[a]lways available no matter how often I bugged him."

Several other writers explained how Professor Alvarez pushed them in ways that challenged them to become better scholars. For example, a former student writes, "[a]s a mentor, Mike strikes the perfect balance of being encouraging and positive but at the same time, pushing and challenging you to strengthen and enhance your research assumptions and arguments." Still another writes, "Mike can strike the most delicate balance, being a friend and confidante while also knowing when and how to stand back and let the younger scholar make--and learn from--their own decisions (and mistakes)."

Professor Alvarez is also praised by his former students for his attention to diversity in all its forms. One writes that "[h]aving senior members of the field advocate for diversity, rather than leaving it on the shoulders  of the underrepresented to start conversations about diversity, is key to increasing diversity in our field, and Mike really understands this." Another former student explains that Professor Alvarez "worked hard to get the best outcomes possible for all the students he has mentored, not just the brightest and the best."

Professor Alvarez was regularly lauded in his nominating letters as a passionate, dedicated advisor. In channeling the sentiments of many of his students, a former student writes that "I recall a conversation that we had several years ago in which he told me that seeing his students succeed, mature, and ultimately train a new generation of students is his greatest professional achievement." From reading through the numerous letters we received in support of Professor Alvarez's nomination, we are convinced.