Amelia Shindelar Receives Award for Outstanding Contributions to Graduate and Professional Education

This spring, Human Rights Initiative Manager Amelia Shindelar was honored with the University’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Graduate and Professional Education. Shindelar manages the Master of Human Rights (MHR) degree program, the Human Rights Initiative (HRI), and runs a research program that focuses on the wellbeing, protection and security of Human Rights Defenders. She is an exceptional force behind human rights instruction, programming, research, and mentorship. Going well beyond her administrative role, Amelia has built and sustained the Master of Human Rights degree through outstanding graduate instruction, intensive mentoring, and visionary program leadership. Shindelar says, “My pedagogical philosophy has been defined by the conviction that graduate education must transcend the traditional classroom.” She excels in inclusive, innovative teaching; holistic advising; student-centered research mentorship; and curriculum development. 

Shindelar was nominated for the award by Humphrey Professor Tricia Olsen, who is also the Director of Graduate Studies for the MHR program; Humphrey Professor and Global Policy Chair Eric Schwartz; and Dean of the Humphrey School Nisha Botchwey. She was nominated on five points of excellence. The points included Excellence in Graduate and Professional Instruction, Involvement of Graduate Students in Research, Scholarship, Professional Development, Development of Graduate Instructional Programs, Equity and Diversity, and Advising and Mentoring of Graduate Students. “Amelia has not simply ‘managed’ a graduate program; she has built a rigorous, inclusive, and deeply human-centered educational ecosystem that prepares students to thrive as professionals in complex global and local contexts,” Olsen shared. “Moreover, she has done so in a truly interdisciplinary way, drawing on the greatest strengths the University of Minnesota has to offer, in the spirit of creating an unparalleled student experience that, in turn, creates outstanding leaders who can make meaningful change in challenging times.” 

Shindelar credits her success to her students. “I feel so privileged to get to work with the many talented, caring and passionate MHR students,” she says. “I love learning from them as they all have such unique experiences and perspectives to share. The students have challenged me to become a better teacher and been patient with me when I have struggled. Teaching is truly a collaborative endeavor.”