Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Supervision and Mentorship

1. Exhibits a comprehensive knowledge of the field of study/research.

2. Creates an environment that fosters critical thinking, creativity, scholarly rigour, engagement and dialogue, and provides constructive timely appraisal of students’ work.

3. Inspires and models enthusiasm for the field, excellence in scholarship and teaching, as well as collegiality, professional conduct, and integrity.

4. Fosters the development of professional skills and competencies including (but not limited to) written, oral and interpersonal communication to facilitate the transition beyond graduate studies.

5. Integrates students into the culture of the discipline and encourages them to share and disseminate their research and scholarly activities within and beyond academia.

6. Responds to the needs of their students to explore and fulfill their post-graduate career and future aspirations.

• The nomination dossier must be submitted as a single electronic pdf file not exceeding 20 pages. Please adjust the nomination dossier accordingly;
• The following are required but not counted in the page limit: Cover page, Nomination Form, Table of Contents, and Curriculum Vitae;
• The dossier will be created using a standard 12-point font and be single-spaced with one-inch margins;
• Each page must be legible and numbered;
• Please do not include URLs or materials besides those requested. The Selection Committee will not review these;
• Only dossiers that meet the guidelines above will be forwarded to the Selection Committee; and,
• Ensure that graduate student supervision and mentorship are clearly articulated in the nomination dossier.

Nomination Form

• Award: Select Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Supervision and Mentorship.
• Nominee Contact Information: The Nominee’s contact information must be included.
• Nominator Contact Information: All the Nominators formally nominating this Nominee must include their contact information.
• Chair/Director Contact Information: Please provide contact information for the Nominee’s department/school chair/ director. Signature of chair/director is required at the time of submission.

Nominator Letter(s)

This should be a comprehensive summary of the nomination dossier. The letter should both offer the Nominator’s unique point of view on the Nominee, as well as make reference to evidence of excellence in graduate supervision and mentorship contained throughout the letters of reference and record of supervision. The nomination letter will be written by a colleague, former graduate student, administrator, or can be a joint letter by more than one Nominator.

Endorsement Letter from Chair/Director of Academic Unit

The Chair/Director must provide a letter that endorses the nomination and communicates how the academic unit benefits from the Nominee’s contribution to graduate supervision and mentoring.

If the Nominator is the Nominee’s Department or School Chair/Director, the endorsement letter is redundant so can be exempted from the nomination.

Curriculum Vitae

Apart from all other information, please ensure the following sections are included in the CV:

• Nominee’s Education and Other Relevant Experience: List all educational certificates, diplomas, and degrees acquired and for each one the granting institutions. Also list Professional Development activities that are related to teaching and learning.
• Employment History Relevant to the Award: Begin with the Nominee’s current position. Include the date for each appointment and the name of department, school or division.
• Teaching Awards: List the Nominee’s teaching awards to date beginning with those awarded at the University of Victoria. Include the date that each award was given.

Supervision and Mentorship Philosophy Statement from Nominee (2-page max.)

In the philosophy statement, the Nominee explains how they view their role as supervisor, adviser, and mentor, including values, principles and goals, and how these are realized in approaches to advancing graduate student success. As with the Nominator letter, the philosophy should make reference to other parts of the dossier that support the claims made in the letter.

Evidence of Excellence in Graduate Student Supervision and Mentorship

This should include the following items:

• Record of Graduate Student Supervision
  A list of graduate students supervised at UVic including program start and end dates, thesis title, and any co-authored publications. This list should also include co-supervision as well as supervisory committee membership. Note that this list will normally also appear in a CV. In this case, the CV may include summary information that is expanded into the full list.

• Signed Letters of Support by Former Graduate Students (suggested 1-page each)
  Provide from three to five signed and dated letters of support from former graduate students who were supervised and mentored by the Nominee, each with a summary of the experience with the Nominee related to the evaluation criteria.

Optional: An additional letter of support from a faculty colleague who can attest to the supervision and mentorship of the Nominee.

Where the dossier limit allows, Nominees are welcome to provide other documents relevant to the award criteria.

• Chair, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies (or designate);
• Regular member from the Faculty of Graduate Studies;
• Graduate student representative selected by the UVic Graduate Students’ Society;
• Graduate Adviser from any academic unit; and,
• One member from the Division of Learning and Teaching Support and Innovation (LTSI), selected by the Executive Director of the LTSI.

Details of the committee’s discussions and deliberations will be held in camera.

With the exception of the Committee Chair, committee members shall usually serve for three years, with one third of the committee being replaced each year after the initial three years. Sitting members of the committee shall not be eligible to make nominations or provide references.

Please direct questions about the Award to the Executive Director, Division of Learning and Teaching Support and Innovation, at ltsied@uvic.ca.