In 2014, Dr. Martin Andresen received the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Supervision with only eight years as a tenure track faculty member in the School of Criminology. This year, having revised the entire Criminology graduate program to make it more modern and accessible, he is receiving the Award for Excellence in Leadership.

The graduate program was in need of revision, a project that Dr. Andresen took on whole-heartedly in 2015. According to David MacAlister, Director of the School of Criminology, “These revisions represented a complete overhaul of the MA and PhD degrees” and the results "have effectively modernized [the] graduate prograci, making it a flagship within the criminology discipline.”

Dr. Andresen is currently supervising five PhD students and six MA students, while also serving on the committees of nine other students. He is involved in editing processes for eight different journals, is the Director of the Institute for Canadian Urban Research Studies and an Associate Member of the Department of Geography, and serves as the Associate Director for Graduate Programs in the School of Criminology.

In addition, Dr. Andresen is involved in many professional and academic development resources. He implemented the Accelerated MA Program, which allows high-achieving undergraduates to have access to graduate courses. This also allows for the top Criminology undergraduates to have easier admission into the program. He is  additionally involved in Brown Bag seminars to help graduate students learn more about topics such as publishing, the job market, and getting tenure. Despite taking on on all these projects, Dr. Andresen is one of the most productive faculty members in the School, having published close to 40 journals articles in conjunction with students over the last decade.

Throughout, he has remained an enthuiastic and engaged leader to his students and colleagues. Current PhD student Melissa Craig speaks to this directly, saying, “[Dr. Andresen's] own prolific publication and research agenda never interferes with his engagement with his students and he is always enthusiastic about finding opportunities to work together on new projects.”

“Martin has taught me how to be a better student, educator, and academic,” says Craig. “I owe much of who I am as a PhD student, to his mentorship. If anyone is truly deserving of an award that acknowledges an educator's investment in - and contributions to - graduate student development, it is Martin.”

Dr. Andresen's work has reinvented the School of Criminology and his success in both teaching and supervising has proven him to be a leader in all capacities. According to Tarah Hodgkinson, another of his current PhD students, “Martin's persistent positivity and patience, inspires both graduate students and colleagues alike to work hard towards their goals. Dr. Martin Andresen is truly deserving of this honour.”