Jay Dolmage - 2021/2022

Jay Dolmage - English Language and Literature

Professor Jay Dolmage is the epitome of a student-focused faculty member. He is, in his own right, an outstanding researcher. He is widely published on topics that are both timely and significant – disability, accessibility, race, and immigration. He is a founding editor of an important journal, has won awards for his research and his teaching, and in 2020 was named to the RSC’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. Professor Dolmage’s outstanding career so far is further augmented by his connection and commitment to graduate students. He has supervised eight PhD students to completion in his first nine years at the University of Waterloo. He is overseeing seven other PhD students who are currently making their way through their doctoral studies. He has served on no less than nineteen PhD committees, providing support and advice to students both within and outside the Department of English Language and Literature. Professor Dolmage has a particular talent for guiding doctoral candidates who are, for a variety of reasons, struggling with their studies. As one student noted, “I finally, after eight years, began to produce work that was valued as a contribution to a field of study. You have no idea what this did for my self-esteem both as a scholar and as a disabled woman.” Another graduate student wrote that he provides “constant, caring support.” Still another graduate student had this to say: “Dr. Dolmage has always treated me as a person and not specifically as a student.... He was also sensitive to the balance that I was trying to strike between parenting, completing my degree, and earning income. I found it exceptionally helpful to acknowledge all of these responsibilities while I tackled my doctoral work.”

Professor Dolmage is as serious about mentoring, encouraging, and instilling confidence in his graduate students as he is about his own research contributions. This dynamic combination is highly valuable, and the Faculty of Arts is proud that Professor Dolmage has been recognized with this prestigious UWaterloo Award of Excellence in Graduate Supervision.