Dickinson College Graduating Class Selects English Professor for Inspirational Teacher Award
Associate Professor of English Sarah Kersh receives the Ganoe Award for Inspirational Teaching. She is joined on the Commencement stage by Dickinson President John E. Jones III '77, P'11 and Class of 2025 President Olivia Abbott-Havers '25. Photo by Dan Loh.
video by Joe O'Neill
The Constance & Rose Ganoe Memorial Award for Inspirational Teaching
by Craig Layne
Dickinson College’s Class of 2025 has honored Associate Professor of English Sarah Kersh with the annual Constance & Rose Ganoe Memorial Award for Inspirational Teaching. Voted on each year by graduating seniors and revealed during Commencement, the award is always a surprise to its recipient. It is the only student-bestowed accolade at Dickinson.
Class President Olivia Abbott-Havers ’25 announced Kersh’s selection at the ceremony on Sunday, May 18, saying “she is seen as an exceptional mentor who combines intelligence with a caring approach, ensuring the personal growth of her students.” Abbott-Havers also lauded Kersh’s empathy, interactive teaching methods and personal investment in her students’ success and wellness.
“The work we do as teachers here at Dickinson challenges students, but it also meets them where they are and guides them during their journey,” Kersh explained. “For me, and many of my fellow faculty, we see teaching and learning as something that happens not just in the classroom, but outside the walls of our academic buildings as well. I am so honored and humbled to be there for students at each new step of personal and intellectual growth. I am also grateful to be a recently tenured member of an English department that is thriving and growing as well as in a greater assembly of arts and humanities departments at Dickinson that are robust in their commitment to student learning.”
The Ganoe Award is the latest in a line of honors for Kersh’s work. This spring, she received the OUTstanding Service Award from Dickinson’s LGBTQ+ Center, which is presented to individuals within the college who identify as queer (LGBTQQIA+) and have been actively involved in social justice work to create a more inclusive Dickinson community. In 2023, Kersh received the Joyce A. Bylander Award for Excellence in Diversity Education. “I deeply believe that diversity education makes space for a range of inclusion that spans questions of ability, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class, among others,” Kersh said.
“My commitment to Dickinson students is powerfully shaped by a dedication to inclusivity and my deep-seated desire to engage in meaningful dialogue across our many differences,” she explained. “I am reminded of the Phi Beta Kappa motto: ‘Love of wisdom is the guide of life,’ and I strive to bring that motto and an immense amount of care to each one of my classes.”
Kersh’s teaching focuses on Victorian literature and culture, queer studies and digital humanities. Her current research focuses on 19th century sonnet sequences and disability studies. She earned a Bachelor’s degree from Muhlenberg College and a Master’s and Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University.
The Ganoe Award winner receives a cash honorarium plus the opportunity to use funds to purchase books for the library or educational equipment for departmental or collegewide purposes. The award was established in 1969 with a bequest from the late William A. Ganoe, class of 1902.
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Published June 3, 2025