GRADUATE SCHOOL FACULTY MENTOR AWARDS
The Graduate School Faculty Mentor Awards recognize faculty who have excelled in the area of mentorship, with one award recognizing Faculty Research Mentorship, and a second recognizing Faculty Professional Mentorship.
Nomination application information
Interested graduate students may nominate a faculty member for one of the categories by submitting the required application requirements by the application deadline. Details of the awards and the eligibility criteria can be found below.
Award recipients will receive a plaque, and the recipients will be announced along with the 2026 Three Minute Thesis Competition on February 20, 2026.
2026 Important Dates
- February 5: Student submits application form/materials via Application Form.
- February 9: All top nominees will be sent to the committee for review.
- February 17: Finalists selected by the committee.
- February 20: The awardees will be announced along with the winners of the Three Minute Thesis Competition.
Award: Faculty Research Mentor
One award is given to a current faculty member.
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Eligibility Criteria and Requirements:
- Must be a current faculty member.
- Research Mentorship can consist of directing a graduate student research project, a collaborative research project with a graduate student, significant participation on a student’s master’s or doctoral committee, or some other form (must be described clearly in application).
- The majority of this mentorship has occurred in the past academic year.
- Evidence of mentorship activities.
- Evidence of the impact of research mentorship.
- Two letters of support from additional graduate students if available.
Application Requirements:
- A nomination letter from one graduate student who has been the recipient of the mentorship or has observed the faculty member mentoring graduate students (maximum 2 pages, single-spaced). The letter should:
- Situate the mentoring experience considering the overall responsibility of the faculty member’s role in the graduate student’s research.
- Provide explicit evidence of how the mentorship is meritorious beyond standard expectations in the graduate studies program.
- A second letter from an additional graduate student who is familiar with the mentorship record of the faculty member (maximum 1 page, single-spaced).
Award: Faculty Professional Mentor
One award is given to a current faculty member.
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Eligibility Criteria and Requirements:
- Must be a current faculty member.
- Professional Mentorship can consist of guiding graduate students through the exploration of various professional aspects of either academic or other professional roles, helping graduate students with networking in their fields, providing guidance during their professional development, or some other form (must be described clearly in application).
- The majority of this mentorship has occurred in the past academic year.
- Evidence of mentorship activities.
- Evidence of the impact of professional mentorship.
- Letter(s) of support from additional graduate students if available.
Application Requirements:
- A nomination letter from one graduate student who has been the recipient of the mentorship or has observed the faculty member mentoring graduate students (maximum 2 pages, single-spaced). The letter should:
- Situate the mentoring experience considering the overall responsibility of the faculty member’s role in the graduate student’s professional development.
- Provide explicit evidence of how the mentorship is meritorious beyond standard expectations in the graduate studies program.
- A second letter from an additional graduate student who is familiar with the mentorship record of the faculty member (maximum 1 page, single-spaced).
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