Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award

To assist in identifying award nominees, the following criteria are suggested:

• The nominee's demonstrated excellence in the classroom and laboratory, as reflected in course-instructor survey evaluations and letters of recommendation from both students and colleagues
• The nominee's distinctive contribution in mentoring graduate students and helping them achieve their goals in academic or professional careers
• The nominee's commendable track record of supervising and participating in students' thesis, report, recital and dissertation committees

Nominations must be submitted using the Graduate School’s online awards system. Nominations must be initiated by academic deans, department chairs, program directors or graduate advisers.

To successfully complete the online application, please gather the following documents:

• Nomination Letter: A letter from the academic dean, department chair, program director or graduate adviser briefly explaining the rationale behind nominating the individual
• Letters of Support: Three letters highlighting the nominee's unique approach to teaching in organized classes and thesis, report, recital, dissertation or treatise supervision. The selection committee will be interested in the distinctive contribution that each nominee has made toward helping graduate students achieve their goals in academic or professional careers. These should be categorized as follows:
  • One from a current student of the nominee
  • One from a former student
  • One from a colleague
• Summary Sheet: Provide a summary sheet detailing graduate courses taught in the last three years, including enrollments, and overall averages of course-instructor survey evaluations. Course syllabi from graduate courses taught in the last three years
• Course Syllabi: Include syllabi from graduate courses taught in the last three years
• List of Supervised Theses/Reports/Recitals or Dissertations/Treatises: Catalog a list of master’s theses/reports/recitals or doctoral dissertations/treatises supervised by the nominee. Include a summary demonstrating the number of students supervised, graduated, and job placement information if available
• Committee Service: Present a list of thesis/report/recital or dissertation/treatise committees on which the nominee has served. Include a summary showing the number of students involved
• Curriculum Vitae: Include the nominee's curriculum vitae

These documents collectively form a comprehensive nomination package for consideration by the selection committee. If you have any queries or require further guidance, please feel free to reach out.

The Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award recipient in 2025 is Caroline Faria, Associate Professor of Geography and the Environment, and African and African Diaspora Studies in the College of Liberal Arts.