By Katya Hrichak

Teaching assistants (TAs) can have huge impacts on the courses they’re involved with, but their work often happens behind the scenes. The Deanne Gebell Gitner ’66 and Family Annual Prize for Teaching Assistants was created to put TAs in the spotlight, celebrating and recognizing them for their contributions to education at Cornell.

The Gitner Prize, administered through the College of Arts and Sciences since 2014, is awarded annually to graduate student TAs. Up to four awards of $2,000 each recognize recipients’ commitments to undergraduate teaching, including classroom presence, course preparation and administration, student counseling, and development of new courses or methods of student instruction, where applicable.

Named for the late Deanne Gebell Gitner ’66, a Cornell graduate and dedicated Cornell volunteer, the prize was established to honor her love of the university by her family, including her sons, Dan ‘92 and Seth Gitner, and husband, Gerald Gitner.

“My mother was the first in her generation and family to attend college, and Cornell was a deeply important and transformative experience for her,” said Dan Gitner ’92. “It was really important for me to help honor her and recognize her through what I thought would be a meaningful award that would be equally significant to the university.”

As a student at Cornell himself, Gitner had great experiences with his professors, but also with his TAs. He found that due to the fact that most graduate students were undergraduates fairly recently themselves, the TAs were able to provide helpful perspectives to help undergraduates succeed.

“I had a number of TAs who were quite helpful to me and really cared a lot in my experience at the university,” he said. “For me, Cornell was such a transformational experience on all levels, and that’s because it really is devoted to teaching at all levels.”

Recent prize recipients expressed appreciation for not only the monetary award, but for its significance in recognizing the work that they do with and for their undergraduates.

“I work hard to inspire and motivate my students to think deeply about language, and it is truly validating to have those efforts recognized,” said Susannah Sharpless, a doctoral candidate in English language and literature and 2023-2024 recipient. “Young people today are asked to navigate overwhelming pressures, anxieties, and distractions, and I believe quite passionately that humanistic inquiry is one of the most important tools they have at their disposal.”

Oona Cullen, also a doctoral candidate in English language and literature and a 2022-2023 recipient, also feels strongly about the value of education in the humanities and the role of TAs.

“As a teacher, I aim to help my students develop their skills as critical thinkers through the avenues of reading closely and writing analytically in the hope of helping them think more deeply and critically about the world around them and their own communications within different spheres,” she said. “Receiving the Gitner Prize felt like a profound acknowledgement of the value of that work.”

Adam Szetela, an English language and literature doctoral candidate and 2023-2024 recipient, and Cameron Tardif, a history doctoral candidate and 2022-2023 recipient, expressed feelings of gratitude for the recognition of work they find meaningful.

“At Cornell, I’m privileged to work with such an incredible group of undergraduate students. I’m flattered that my students nominated me for this award,” said Szetela. “When I look back at my time at Cornell, I will no doubt never forget the many students who made teaching such an enjoyable and memorable experience for me.”

“For me, teaching and working with students is the most rewarding part of academia and something I dedicate a lot of time to. To know that the faculty around me and my students appreciate the effort and energy I put into designing discussions, lectures, and activities and nominated me is almost as much of an honor as the award itself,” said Tardif.

Helping to recognize a population whose work sometimes feels underappreciated is a large part of why Gitner continues to support this fund.

“I love Cornell,” said Gitner. “This is my small way of saying thank you.”

Gifts of any amount support graduate students in pursuit of their degrees. Visit Cornell’s Giving website to explore your options.