Mentoring Award
GSG Outstanding Mentor Award
Description
This award honors faculty members who excel in their role of mentoring graduate students. Good mentors are not only concerned with encouraging their students’ academic goals, but also offer aid in professional and personal development. Such mentors share time, effort, and wisdom that are crucial to secure the well-being and success of graduate students. One award will be given per college of the graduate school along with up to two additional awards at the discretion of the judging committee. Winners will be recognized with a certificate and cash prizes. The judging committee will be comprised of graduate students representing all the colleges in the graduate school. Applications will be accepted from March 1, to March 25, 2024 for the calendar year 2023. A professor may be nominated several times by a student but can only win the award once every 10 years.
Anonymity
Nominators may remain anonymous and the GSG will not share your details with the nominee, without your permission. However, let this not influence citing personal examples in your nomination letter. We will reach out to you to make redactions or other modifications in the nomination letter before we share them with your mentor.
Application Requirements (for Nominee)
The GSG will reach out directly to the nominee to acquire a supporting statement (500 words max).
In this statement, the nominee will please explain their philosophy of mentoring with reference to the rubric and specific evidence.
Application Requirements (for Nominator)
Item I should be typed directly into the form in the Google form in the "Submissions" section below.
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- A Nomination Letter from a Graduate Student (500 words max)
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This letter may be written by more than one student. Students should feel free to nominate more than 1 professor. In this statement, please begin by explaining your relationship to the nominee. Then, address the criteria listed in the rubric with specific evidence, e.g.:
- How does this professor support your academic success? Does the person teach well, aid in productivity, give clear expectations and feedback, challenge you as a student, and encourage academic opportunities such as awards and publications?
- How does this professor support your personal well-being? Does the person respect your time, instill self-confidence or humility when needed, provide support in the face of obstacles, and act as a role model in the community?
- How does this professor support your professional development? Does the person encourage opportunities such as conference presentations or networking and actively assist in post-degree placements?
N.B. We would like to share the nomination letters with the nominee, if awarded. Please indicate in the google form if you would like your name redacted.
Rubric for an Outstanding Faculty Mentor in the Graduate School
Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award Rubric
Outstanding Faculty Mentor FAQs
How long should my nomination letter be?
There is a word limit of 500 words in the google form, which is roughly equivalent to 1 ½ pages single-spaced. You need not utilize the word count completely. You should not need more than 500 words to show evidence of the characteristics listed in the rubric.
Why does the faculty member also need to write a supporting statement?
The faculty member’s supporting statement will help the committee assess the continuity between students’ and professors’ perspectives.
Mentor Award: