Meet Outstanding Master's Mentor Dr. Greggory Davis
Dr. Greggory Davis is a 2020 recipient of the Outstanding Master’s Mentor Award. This award is presented to members of the graduate faculty with an exceptional record of fostering the academic and professional development of graduate Ƶs, particularly for graduate Ƶs in the master’s degree program. 
Dr. Davis currently serves as the director of the School of Kinesiology. He joined the faculty at UL Lafayette in 2013, and previously served as the graduate program coordinator for the Kinesiology MS program.
To date, he has chaired six master’s thesis committees and served on the committees for an additional eight Ƶs.
Dr. Davis researches how metabolic, immune, and endocrine responses are affected by exercise and dietary supplement interventions, and how the implications of these findings may enhance exercise performance and health outcomes.
He is often asked to serve on committees outside of his area of research expertise due to his capability as a mentor.
“He cares about each of the Ƶs and what they are interested in or working on, regardless of their concentration. Dr. Davis clearly goes the extra mile for his graduate Ƶs,” Dr. Jeremy Foreman, graduate coordinator for the School, says.
Dr. Davis has taken Ƶs to conferences to present research and has published research with his graduate Ƶs.
His commitment to graduate Ƶs has only increased since being appointed as the director of the School.
“Over the past year in particular he has devoted countless hours providing individual attention to Ƶs that he mentors while training and supervising them in the lab, discussing research with them, listening to their concerns as graduate Ƶs, and teaching them in independent study coursework,” says Dr. Nathan Roberts, dean of the College of Education.
Behind the scenes, Dr. Davis has worked on a number of initiatives to support graduate Ƶ success, including improvements to the curriculum and refinements to the program’s graduate Ƶ handbook.
Dr. Davis’s mentorship often extends beyond graduation, as alumni of the program have been known to return to him for career or educational advice.
He stresses the importance of requesting feedback from Ƶs and actively listening to their perspectives.
“The demands and perspectives of Ƶs will undoubtedly evolve over the years and therefore, the manner in which I mentor graduate Ƶs must continue to evolve as well,” he reflects.
“The feedback I have received has shaped the philosophy that I have today and as that feedback continues to change throughout the years, my philosophy will adapt along with those changes.”
