Scholarly excellence is common among our faculty, but our students also benefit from the part of the Richmond education that we think is equally, if not more, influential. Our campus-wide dedication to mentorship and student success is exemplified by chemistry professor Carol Parish, who is the newest recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education. 

These awards are the highest honor for faculty at Virginia's colleges and universities and are bestowed upon those with superior accomplishments in teaching, research and public service.

Parish is a nationally recognized leader in computational and theoretical chemistry, as well as in training and mentoring her students.

“It’s wonderful to be recognized for the most exciting and rewarding part of my job, which is mentoring the next generation of scientists,” Parish said. “When my students succeed, I succeed, and this honor reflects that.”

Under her guidance, her students have won numerous nationally recognized scholarships, including 10 Goldwater scholarships, six American Chemical Society scholarships, a Fulbright fellowship, as well as Gates and Rhodes Scholarships. She has coauthored 42 research publications with 63 undergraduate coauthors. She has mentored more than 95 undergraduates in externally funded research focusing on developing an understanding of important processes in chemistry, biology and physics. 

“Carol embodies UR’s commitment to faculty mentoring of students and undergraduate research,” said Patrice Rankine, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences. “This award recognizes Carol’s efforts to help our ambitious students achieve their academic goals.”

This award is the latest in Parish’s long list of contributions to chemistry and mentorship. In 2017, she received the outstanding mentoring award from the American Chemical Society. She also received a 2016 Goldwater Scholars Faculty Mentor Award and was named a 2015 ACS fellow. She received UR’s Outstanding Mentor Award in 2008 and the Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award in 2005.

We love the strength of Richmond’s faculty/student relationships, and we are so proud of Dr. Parish's latest award!