Eight AU faculty/staff members recognized with Academic Mentor Award

ASHLAND, Ohio – Eight Ashland University faculty and staff members were honored during the 2025 Academic Mentor Awards ceremony held recently at the John C. Myers Convocation Center. The annual program recognizes AU mentors who significantly affect a student’s life beyond the classroom by serving as a role model, trusted advisor and guide.

This year’s Mentor Awards were presented to Tony Basham, Ph.D., assistant professor of New Testament; Christopher Burkett, Ph.D., associate professor of political science; Adam Crosby, site director of Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel, La.; Adam Gellings, Ph.D., adjunct instructor in languages and literatures; Yvonne Glass, Ph.D., executive dean of Ashland Theological Seminary; Brittany Shaffstall, assistant director of admissions processing for Correctional Education; Shelton Tufts, site director of the Northeast Reintegration Center in Cleveland; and Coleen Wright, student resource specialist for Correctional Education.

Basham is the assistant director of student and program development at Ashland Theological Seminary, helping to oversee the pre-seminary track for AU religion majors and minors, in addition to his role as assistant professor. He also is the director of field education at ATS. He was nominated by senior Zechariah Van Farowe, who called Basham a mentor “who truly cares for his students through encouragement and consultation.” He cited several examples of Basham going above and beyond, and said, “All of this has had a deep effect on me personally because I know that someone is rooting for me, and I can carry this into my own mission. I am now more confident as a young man and have grown in my faith.”

Burkett serves as the director of the Ashbrook Scholar program while also teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses. His research focus is on American political thought and political philosophy. Owen Soergel, an education major, nominated Burkett for being a “curious, thoughtful person who loves to learn and teach.” Those qualities translate in the classroom, according to Soergel, who added “Students of Dr. Burkett become better students because of how clear it is that he loves what he teaches, and he loves to teach.”

Crosby is in his sixth year as a site director for the second-largest prison in Louisiana, located near Baton Rouge. Crosby’s professionalism, mentorship and availability were all noted in student Joel Pedelahore’s nomination. Pedelahore, a senior academically and majoring in communication, underscored the importance of relationships for incarcerated students. He wrote, “Mr. Crosby’s uncanny understanding of these adversities that incarcerated students face daily is instrumental in his structure for mentoring and how he positively impacts the progression of learned knowledge for his students,” and added “(his) Christian and professional ethics are the foundational basis for the rebuilding, rehabilitation and restructuring of incarcerated persons’ cognitive ability.”

Gellings has been an instructor in the Master of Fine Arts program since 2022 and is also a graduate of the program. He leads panels and craft sessions as one of AU’s poetry faculty. Jennifer Michelle Mayer, a graduate student in the MFA in Creative Writing program, nominated Gellings, citing his “wise, thoughtful mentorship … (and) sense of what it means to be a contemporary poet.” She described his ability to instill confidence in his students, remarking “he gives careful, specific assignments that guided me to produce my best poetry and critical writing, with thoughtful feedback and support that sharpened my awareness while feeling encouraged and supported in the process.”

Glass has been serving as the executive dean of Ashland Theological Seminary since June 2023 and was director of its Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and part of the faculty prior to that. As a graduate student in clinical counseling since 2022, Nikki McBride has admired Glass in both roles, noting her “direction, encouragement and wisdom” as top attributes. When Glass was a professor, McBride said she “generously lent me some peace and encouragement and I started feeling confident in the work I was submitting.” And since becoming executive dean, McBride appreciates that “she continues to make time in her schedule to answer my questions … regarding essay submissions to counseling associations or different doctorate programs.”

Shaffstall, a 2020 alumna of AU, has served as a professional academic advisor and now assistant director of admissions for Correctional Education for since May 2022. Despite not having face-to-face contact with the students she works with, two different students nominated Shaffstall. Jason Bennett, a senior communication major, said that “with Ms. Shaffstall’s help and mentorship, I feel confident I can plan ahead, focus on my school work and know that if I need anything, that she will be there.” Similarly, Joseph Bruney, also a senior majoring in communication, praised her responsiveness, support and encouragement, writing “every issue or question I’ve ever had, she has offered the same type of dedication. She has changed my life in a way that I will never forget. Now thanks to her unwavering commitment, she helped pave the way for my final semester.”

Tufts is in his third year as the site director of the Northeast Reintegration Center, a minimum security female correctional institution in northeast Ohio. He operates as the on-site administrator, ensures students become acclimated with educational opportunities and advises students and helps them chart a path to graduation. Alma Gray, a senior who has almost completed a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership and development, believes she wouldn’t have been able to graduate without “Mr. Tufts’ encouragement, compassionate demeanor and moral support” and added “the world needs more education professionals like him, as does the corrections system.”

Wright has served AU for more than a decade in various Correctional Education roles, currently as a student resource specialist. She was nominated by two students, James Francis and Anthony Varner, both in the organizational leadership and development program. Francis called her “an unsung hero within the university,” and complimented her ability to treat each of the 130 students “uniquely with kindness” and to “address any issues or hardships students were having with focus and empathy.” Varner said Wright’s “a beacon of hope and inspiration” because “she has consistently exemplified dedication and resilience, motivating all of us to persevere,” while creating “a supportive environment where we felt comfortable seeking help.”

The award-winning mentors were each presented with an engraved silver plate. Nominations were submitted by students via one-page essays and selections were made by the members of the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees. The AU Academic Mentor Award was first established in 1986.