A member of the faculty in the Department of History for 31 years, Professor Cohen has served on 30 doctoral committees, 15 of which she has chaired.
A graduate student of hers states, “Dr. Cohen does more than help her students succeed as graduate students – she prepares them for careers as historians…The impressive professional success of many of her students is a testament to her sound advice and stellar reputation.” Another adds, “Pat Cohen consciously makes space for the student to articulate his interests and fears, and she has the most extraordinary capacity for turning interests toward workable scholarship and conciliating fears into energy to fuel achievement.” And regarding her mentorship strategies, one Ph. D. student writes, “rather than creating protégés, she trains students to become confident, self-sufficient intellectuals.”
Finally, Dr. Cohen also receives high praise for the way she role models responsible and professional academic citizenry. According to a Ph.D. candidate, “Pat articulates a clear and ethical sense of community, …” showing students how to “create mutually supportive relationships with our peers rather than perceiving them as competitors or accolades and resources.”
Professor Katharina Schreiber is current chair and has been a member of the faculty in the Department of Anthropology for over 24 years, starting her career here in 1985. She also holds an affiliated appointment in the Latin American & Iberian Studies Program.
Many of her supporters comment on the patient and thoughtful way in which Professor Schreiber introduces her students to the current cultural environment of the archaeological sites in Peru. A former student notes that a “vital thing I learned from Dr. Schreiber is the importance of establishing and maintaining relationships with local people when conducting research in foreign countries.” And a current student writes, “Professor Schreiber’s responsibility and professional ethic is not only evident in her successful collaboration with Peruvian colleagues but also in her commitment to the communities in which she works.” This student notes that Dr. Schreiber is the “madrina, or godmother, of the elementary school and contributes money for uniforms as well as the graduating class’s annual trip to Machu Picchu.”
One of her former students notes his awareness of the reputation of recent UCSB anthropology graduates as “being some of the most well-prepared, best trained, and most professional of all recent PhDs.” He continues by stating “Having gone through the program at UCSB, I can say with confidence that Kathy is one of the primary reasons for this.”
Professor Douglas Burbank is a faculty member of the Department of Earth Science as well as the Director of the Institute for Crustal Studies. His graduate student nominator notes that Prof. Burbank “has been an international leader in the field of tectonic-geomorphology over the last two decades and is a true intellectual… pioneer.” Another student describes him as “a unifying force in his research group as well as in our department as a whole.”
Professor Burbank is well-noted for his enthusiasm and vigor for out-of-classroom activities, and for bridging the gap between research and adventure. One of his colleagues describes him this way: “He is both an intellectual leader and a friend. I often see him sitting at a table outside our building having lunch with his students. He regularly invites them over to his home for Sunday pancake breakfasts. And, as a biking enthusiast, many of his students accompany him on backcountry mountain bike trips.”
A former student writes, “Volumes could be written by all of Doug’s students about the many ways in which he has helped develop our intellectual, research, and critical thinking skills. To summarize them, Doug maintains the perfect balance between inspiring students with his own passion, intellect, and creativity, while giving students the resources and freedom to develop as individual scientists.”
