Susan E. Hawkins is esteemed by her colleagues and students. They write that no one “has designed so many innovative courses and taught them with such a special blend of enthusiasm, depth, engagement and intensity.” Hawkins has “fostered the intellectual growth of our students using contemporary literature to help them discover the nature of modern life.” The range of courses Hawkins has taught in 23 years of service to Oakland University is breathtaking. Through dedicated teaching and student advising, she has achieved her goal of turning “students into better readers which means better thinkers, which means better analysts, which means better citizens and human beings who care about their world.”