The Oregon State University Honors College has named Oksana Ostroverkhova, professor of physics, as the 2025 Margaret and Thomas Meehan Honors College Eminent Mentor and Courtney S. Campbell, Hundere Professor of Religion and Culture in the School of History, Philosophy and Religion and director of the Program in Medical Humanities, as the 2025 Margaret and Thomas Meehan Honors College Eminent Professor.
“Dr. Ostroverkhova and Dr. Campbell are true leaders in creating transformative opportunities for honors students, in the classroom and beyond,” says Honors College Associate Dean Troy Hall. "Their commitment to mentoring and inclusive, interdisciplinary teaching is an inspiration and model for all of us who support honors student success and development.”
Current Honors College students and recent alumni nominate faculty members for the eminent mentor award, and a panel of distinguished Honors College instructors and mentors select the eminent professor and mentor each year. These awards, which include a cash prize, are supported by contributions from the Margaret and Thomas Meehan Estate.
2025 Margaret and Thomas Meehan Honors College Eminent Mentor Oksana Ostroverkhova
Professor Oksana Ostroverkhova has been a faculty member in the Oregon State University College of Science’s Department of Physics for 20 years. In that time, 56 undergraduate students from a wide range of disciplines have participated in her Organic Photonics and Electronics Lab, including students studying physics, chemistry, nuclear engineering, electrical engineering, computer science and forestry. This collaborative work has resulted in 36 senior theses and seven Honors College theses, along with 26 co-authored publications — nine of them with honors students. “Four out of the seven honors theses from my group were nominated by the Physics Department for the American Physical Society Leroy Apker Award,” she says, “which is a nationwide competition of undergraduate theses.” Two of her Honors College mentees have gone on to receive the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship, and she has served on three additional Honors College thesis committees in the past five years.
“I am very honored to be recognized at the university level,” Ostroverkhova says. “There is so much amazing undergraduate research happening on campus and so many OSU faculty across disciplines who are committed to providing high-quality research opportunities for students.”
In her lab, Ostroverkhova strives to create an environment that emphasizes growth, collaboration and independence. She encourages students to take ownership of their work while offering guidance and structure. “Over the years, I’ve learned how to adapt my mentoring strategies to recognize and build on individual strengths and train people to become professionals,” she says.
One of Ostroverkhova’s recent mentees, Honors College student and 2024 Goldwater Scholar Madalyn Gragg, who nominated Ostroverkhova for the Eminent Mentor award, says the experience was transformational. “From the moment I joined her lab, she encouraged me to explore complex scientific concepts, always providing guidance that pushed me to think critically and creatively,” Gragg shares. “Dr. Ostroverkhova’s mentorship extended far beyond the lab. She encouraged me to pursue leadership and outreach opportunities, supported my development as a scientist and helped me envision myself as a future mentor.”
All of Ostroverkhova’s Honors College graduates have gone on to graduate school, pursuing Ph.D. programs at universities including Arizona State, the University of Washington, UC Berkeley, the University of Michigan, and the University of Texas in Austin, and Applied Physics M.S. program at the University of Oregon. In the coming year, she looks forward to continuing to support a new group of undergraduate researchers. “I’m excited to see them grow and to provide all kinds of opportunities for that,” she says.
2025 Margaret and Thomas Meehan Honors College Eminent Professor Courtney Campbell
Dr. Courtney S. Campbell has been at Oregon State University since 1990 and currently serves as the Hundere Professor for Religion and Culture and the director of the Program in Medical Humanities in the School of History, Philosophy and Religion in the College of Liberal Arts. He was also named the Sandy and Elva Sanders Eminent Professor in the Honors College in 2002.
“I am completely surprised, honored and humbled to receive this award a second time, nearly 25 years later,” says Campbell. "This award is really made possible by the hundreds of honors students I have taught over the years who have expressed their appreciation for my teaching. That’s why I've chosen to donate the monetary portion of the award to student scholarships for honors students.”
Campbell has taught a range of Honors College courses over the years, including colloquia and honors sections of core classes. His topics have included biomedical ethics, death and dying, religion and culture, war and non-violence and, most recently, mindfulness and medicine. He describes the Honors College as “an experimental setting for outside-the-box teaching,” where he develops innovative courses in response to student interests. “I ask students what they would like to learn, read and write about,” he says. "For instance, I co-taught a course called Medicine and Mindfulness in winter 2025. Apart from weekly class discussion and mindfulness practices, we participated in a half-day silent retreat at the OSU Marigold Center, led by the co-teacher Kate Gallagher. Several students expressed how valuable the course was for their personal and professional development.”
In addition to teaching, Campbell has mentored 48 honors thesis projects, the most of any faculty member. “One of the most impactful,” he says, was from student Tiffany Soto, who “explored physician-patient relationships and healing through interviews and research. The project inspired a public panel on healing practices and helped Tiffany find her calling.” She went on to lead an ethics and healing group at OHSU and completed a residency in Denver. She now holds a fellowship at Harvard Medical School.
Reflecting on his work with the Honors College, Campbell says, “I have become a better teacher through my HC courses. I come to each class not asking, ‘What do I need to cover today?’ but ‘How can I help my students learn?’”
Campbell hopes to continue developing colloquia and supporting students as they navigate the intersections of science, ethics and the humanities. He is currently “considering a new course on dystopias and what they reveal about humanity” in times of crisis.
“Dr. Campbell and Dr. Ostroverkhova have each created deeply enriching experiences for our students,” Hall says. “Their influence is felt in students’ confidence, intellectual curiosity and commitment to meaningful work. We’re proud to honor them for the mentorship, leadership and vision they bring to the Honors College.”