Provost鈥檚 Award for Faculty Excellence in Graduate and Postdoctoral Mentorship
The Office of the Provost and the Graduate School are soliciting student-initiated nominations for the Provost鈥檚 Award for Faculty Excellence in Graduate and Postdoctoral Mentorship. This award will recognize mentors who provide widely recognized excellence in mentorship support that fosters the academic, professional, and holistic growth of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. Key indicators of an outstanding mentor may include:
- communication and guidance practices that reflect the unique needs, skills, and goals of each mentee;
- contribution to a sense of community and a willingness to share and develop networks to support mentees;
- demonstrated commitment to supporting the career progression of mentees beyond their time at 91社区;
- persistent respect for the mentee;
- commitment to reciprocal learning via mentorship;
- ongoing curiosity and enthusiasm that extends to the mentees area of interest and overlaps with the mentor鈥檚 expertise; and/or
- reflection of the institutional values: unity, identity, and excellence.
Eligibility
Tenured members of the Graduate Faculty at 91社区 who supervise the scholarship, research, and creative activities of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. This award is intended to celebrate a consistent and strong record of excellence in mentorship, not an individual or limited instance of mentorship excellence.
Nomination
Students should initiate the creation of an application package (this may be supported or led by the program鈥檚 Graduate Student Organization). The nomination package should be compiled by the Director of Graduate Studies or the program chair and include the required elements, listed below:
- a current curriculum vitae of the nominee;
- a complete list of the nominee's current and graduated mentees.
- A summary of trainee accomplishments in research or creative activities while at 91社区, as well as the positions/career accomplishments they have achieved after completion of their training at 91社区.
- letters of support from 2-3 students or alumni;
- These letters should combine to show the scope of the nominee's work with graduate students and postdocs over time, to show the impact of the nominee's mentoring on students and their achievements and to indicate what makes the nominee's mentoring work exemplary.
- In recognition of the fact that students are well-advised to have a constellation of mentors, students may write in support of a faculty member who is not necessarily their thesis/dissertation chair.
- a nominee-authored statement of mentoring philosophy (300-500 words);
- If applicable, letter of recognition of formal mentorship training efforts (i.e., via CIMER and on-campus opportunities).
The application portal for submission will be available shortly. Please refer to the awards calendar for deadlines.