Graduate Dean's Award for Excellence in Mentoring of Graduate Students

Graduate Dean's Award for Excellence in Mentoring of Graduate Students

The Graduate Dean's Award for Excellence in Mentoring of Graduate Students recognizes outstanding mentoring of graduate students by members of the OU Graduate Faculty. 

One $2,000 award is given each year.

Nominations are due to the Graduate College by November 1, 2024, through the Graduate Dean Mentoring Award packet submission portal.

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CRITERIA

Recognize outstanding mentoring of graduate students by members of the OU Graduate Faculty. 

NOMINATION PROCEDURES

Initiation

Each fall, the OU Graduate College will solicit nominations. Nominations may be submitted by the academic unit chair or director, elected members of Committee A, a unit’s approved nomination committee, the leadership of a center, or a group of faculty familiar with the nominee’s qualifications for the award. The nominating entity will assemble the nomination packet, including supporting documentation.  

The academic college dean’s representative will submit the package using the Graduate Dean Mentoring Award packet submission portal. Final submissions, including the dean’s letter, must be received by November 1, 2024. Please allow sufficient time for any internal college deadlines for dean support letters.

The nomination materials should be written to be accessible to those unfamiliar with the specific disciplinary field. Nomination materials should address and provide specific examples of at least five of the following: 

1. How does the mentor establish a collegial and respectful research and creative activity environment where students can flourish? 
2. How does the mentor establish expectations and communicate those to students?
3. How does the mentor support the student's growth through training opportunities, professional development, and socialization within the discipline?
4. How does the mentor exhibit exceptional mentoring beyond the boundaries of the direction of the thesis or dissertation research?
5. How does the mentor provide timely feedback that includes both praise and constructive feedback?
6. How does the mentor take an adaptive mentoring approach to meet the differing needs of students?
7. How does the mentor approach career diversity and support students with career aspirations outside the academy?
8. How does the mentor respect the student's whole identity and the need/importance of activities outside of research and creative activity that benefit the student's overall wellbeing and productivity?

Eligibility

Members of the OU graduate faculty are eligible if they:

• have authority to chair master's thesis and doctoral committees; AND
• have been In their faculty position at OU at least four years.

 Faculty need not be explicitly nominated for their role as a thesis or doctoral committee chair.  

Nomination Materials

Items 1-6 should be combined into a single PDF for submission to the academic college dean.

1. Graduate Dean's Award for Excellence in Mentoring of Graduate Students Nomination Cover Sheet (fillable PDF)
2. Nomination letter highlighting the faculty member’s mentoring efforts/activities. Maximum 3 pages (1-inch margins, 11 pt font). The nomination letter should contain the names and signatures of all members of the nominating group.
3. The nominated faculty member’s mentoring statement that provides concrete evidence of mentoring activities. Maximum 3 pages (1-inch margins, 11 pt font).
4. Letters of support from two to four current and/or former OU graduate students.  Each letter is limited to three pages (1-inch margins, 11 pt font).
   • All students writing letters must have been mentored during the faculty member’s time at OU.
   • The nominating group, not the nominated faculty member, should request and receive the letters.
5. CV tailored to highlight activities related to graduate mentoring, education, and engagement.
6. A 100-word bio that includes phonetic spelling of the faculty member’s full name.
7. Dean’s letter (required). This is appended to the PDF and submitted via the Graduate Dean Mentoring Award packet submission portal by November 1. Submissions without a dean’s letter will not be considered.

Selection Procedures

The OU Graduate Dean will constitute an ad hoc committee to review nominations and recommend an award recipient. The committee will be composed of faculty recognized for mentoring and engagement in enhancing the graduate student experience at OU. The committee will forward its recommendation(s) and all substantiating materials to the Graduate Dean by March 1. The Graduate Dean will make the final decision and deliver it to the Provost's Office.

Announcement and Perquisites

There will be one $2,000 award each year. The recipient will be announced at the annual Faculty Awards and Honors ceremony in Norman. 

Contact

The Graduate College administers this award. For questions about this award, please contact Liz Karr (lizkarr@ou.edu), Senior Associate Dean of the OU Graduate College.