The  Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award recognizes a faculty member who has had outstanding success in mentoring graduate students. The award will be presented in Spring 2024. The award eligibility criteria specified and requirements for the nomination materials are aligned with the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools (CSGS) Outstanding Mentor Award so that the UH winner can be submitted to the CSGS regional competition in the fall semester of each year.

Award Details

The UH campus awardee will receive a $5000 cash award. The UH Graduate School will enter the campus awardee into the regional CSGS Outstanding Mentor Award competition which is open annually in the fall semester. The CSGS winner will be awarded an additional $1,000 plus travel expenses to attend the annual CSGS spring meeting where the CSGS award will be presented.

Eligibility

1. Any full-time tenured faculty member at University of Houston who has successfully mentored graduate students at the master's or doctoral level is eligible to be nominated. Nominations of previously nominated but not selected individuals may be updated and resubmitted. A faculty member may not win the award more than once.
2. Nominees must have gained distinction as a graduate student mentor on campus with an established reputation for:
   • Facilitating student learning by making complex ideas understandable and meaningful to students.
     Establishing and maintaining high academic standards.
   • Serving as a positive role model of a professional, with personal integrity, high ethical standards, and achievable standards for personal excellence.
   • Consistent and ongoing guidance of students regarding resources within and outside the university, conflict resolution, and advocacy for completion of the program of study in a timely manner.
   • Substantially influencing the academic and professional pursuits of students through activities such as funded research, co-authorship on publications, and co-presentations at national or international conferences.
3. Nominees must have a demonstrated and continuing success as a graduate student mentor over a significant portion of their career and for a minimum of 5 years at the University of Houston.

Nomination Process

The nomination must be submitted either by one of the faculty member’s former students (i.e., alumni of University of Houston) or from a colleague; self-nominations are not allowed. Nominations must include the following materials and must be submitted as a complete nomination package in one single PDF. Nominations that do not adhere to these instructions will not be considered:

• Cover sheet
• A summary of the nominee’s mentoring accomplishments and mentoring philosophy (2-page maximum).
• Abbreviated curriculum vitae of the nominee (8-page maximum)
• List of all master’s/doctoral students mentored including current students
• Five letters of recommendation (the nominator may provide one of these letters)
  • Three letters of recommendation (each letter is limited to 2 pages) from former graduate students (i.e., alumni of University of Houston) attesting to the mentoring provided by the nominee. The recommender must provide evidence of how the nominee contributed to the recommender's success and achievements.
  • Two letters of support from departmental colleagues (each letter is limited to 2 pages). The letter must provide specific examples of the nominee’s efforts on behalf of her/his students.

Deadline: February 1, 2024

A single PDF of the complete nomination packet must be received by The Graduate School by February 1, 2024. The single PDF file containing all documents must be emailed to  gradschool@uh.edu.

Selection Process

An awards committee consisting of members of the Graduate and Professional Studies Committee members will be appointed by the Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School.  The committee will make a recommendation to the Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School who will make the final selection.