2025 Call for Distinguished Mentor Award Nominees
To honor those who have distinguished themselves as mentors, The Graduate School seeks nominations of faculty who have demonstrated excellent mentorship in multiple ways that may include:
- Demonstrating leadership and initiative at the program level to improve mentorship access and quality for graduate students and postdocs. Facilitates a mentorship community, whether formal or informal, that enhances or expands mentorship opportunities.
- Promoting/participating in mentorship that supports diversity and inclusiveness.
- Providing intellectual leadership. Models a record of excellence in research and/or creative work, teaching skills, research, and artistic presentation and publication; ensures that students and postdoctoral scholars master the content and skills of their discipline; clearly articulates expectations and holds students and postdoctoral scholars to high standards.
- Creating a supportive environment for research, scholarship, and/or artistic production; respects student and postdoctoral scholar goals and assists them in goal attainment; provides students and postdoctoral scholars (potentially even those outside of their “own group”) with the resources necessary to take full advantage of institutional, academic and professional opportunities (publications, conferences, networking, etc.).
- Promoting successful and timely completion of students’ degree programs and postdoctoral scholar projects, proactive and effective in student and postdoctoral scholar post-training placement.
- Acting as advocates for students and postdoctoral scholars individually or collectively, helping them overcome problems, discord, or barriers.
- Integrating students and/or postdoctoral scholars into the broader culture of the discipline.
Recipients of The Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholar Distinguished Mentor Award will receive an award of $2,500. Up to three awards will be made each year.
Eligibility
Nominees must be faculty members who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to the mentorship of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. Nominators may recognize the many forms that mentorship can take. We encourage the nomination of individuals from different geographies, cultures, faith traditions, physical abilities and genders.
Nominees who have received a Distinguished Mentors Award within the last 5 years are not eligible.
Selection Process
Nominations will be reviewed by an interdisciplinary selection committee composed of faculty (including past recipients of the Distinguished Mentor Award, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students). Awardees will be selected by the Dean of The Graduate School based upon recommendations of this committee.