Outstanding Graduate Director Award

Each year the Graduate School offers an Outstanding Graduate Director Award to recognize exemplary service of graduate directors. We would appreciate your assistance in identifying candidates for this award. Awardees will receive an honorarium and university-wide recognition.

Criteria include exemplary service in:

• Oversight of recruitment, admissions, and progress to degree that facilitates program goals.
• Overall smooth day-to-day operations (e.g., oversight of funding appointments such that students receive offers and funding on time).
• Oversight of written documents for graduate program (e.g., graduate student files, graduate student manual).
• Attention to "continual improvement" as documented by quantitative indicators of program (e.g., increased retention; reduced time-to-degree; increased number of quality applicants, or admitted or enrolled students; increased average GRE/GMAT of applicants, or admitted students).
• Innovations that are approved and sustained by department or program (e.g., mentoring system, career and professional development focus, new certificates or tracks).

The Graduate School identifies candidates; discusses those with awards committee; then asks department chair if the department would support a nomination (and prepare nominating materials). Nominees must have served as Graduate Director for at least two calendar years as of the deadline for nomination. Nominations are restricted to Graduate Directors currently serving, or just having completed an appointment as Graduate Director. Normally nominations of faculty whose work as a Graduate Director substituted for other tasks expected as part of a normal faculty workload will not qualify for the award.

The nomination packet should include:

1. A letter of endorsement from the Chair of the department.
2. Letters of endorsement from at least two other faculty members.
3. A letter of endorsement from the president of the department's graduate student organization, which includes a survey of graduate student opinion.
4. A summary of accomplishments as Graduate Director that does not exceed 4 printed pages (1 inch margins, 12 pt font).
5. Current curriculum vitae of the nominee. Additional relevant material may be provided. Letters of support should focus on the nominee's contributions in his/her role as Graduate Director, as opposed to other faculty and/or administrative roles.

Nomination packets should be received by the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs (AD 134) by the posted deadline: January 30 of the current academic year. The awards committee consists of three faculty members, and one representative of the Graduate School.

Past awardees:

2007-2008 - Prof. Lisa Tessman, Dept. of Philosophy
2006-2007 - Prof. James Constable, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering
2006-2007 - Associate Dean George Bobinski, School of Management
2005-2006 - Prof. Thomas Sinclair, Dept. of Public Administration
2004-2005 - Prof. Joyce Ferrario, Decker School of Nursing