Graduate Mentorship Award

The Graduate Mentorship Award recognizes excellence in graduate supervision and mentorship.  One award will be given annually. Recipients will receive a monetary award of $250 and be invited to lead a workshop on graduate supervision and mentorship. Recipients may also be nominated for the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies’ Dr. Suning Wang Award for Outstanding Graduate Mentorship.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this award the nominee must have been a core member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies at Lakehead University for a minimum of seven years.

Previous winners are eligible to be nominated, but nominees must not have been a recipient of the Graduate Mentorship Award in the past ten years.

Nominations

Nominations for this award can be made by graduate students, faculty members, Graduate Coordinators, Chairs, and Deans. 

The nominator must complete the nomination form and attach a letter (two pages maximum) summarizing the nominee’s contributions to graduate mentorship according to the criteria for selection listed below.

** Nominations must be received no later than February 28. Here is the nomination form

Eligible nominees will be notified by the Dean of Graduate Studies. Nominees will indicate their acceptance of the nomination by submitting a dossier prior to March 31.

Information for Nominees

The dossier must include the following:

• The nomination form and letter previously submitted by the nominator;

• A statement (two pages maximum) by the nominee describing their mentorship philosophy and practice;

• A Curriculum Vitae;

• A list of all graduate students (past and current) supervised by the nominee, including each student’s name, degree, dissertation/thesis/project title, and date of completion; and

• At least two (and no more than five) letters of support from current and/or past students (letters can be signed by more than one student).

The dossier may also include:

• A cover letter (maximum one page);

• Assessments by peers and/or community and industry partners (no more than two

assessment letters may be included); and/or

• Student feedback (emails, thank-you cards, etc.). No more than five pages.

Criteria for Selection

(Based on the criteria of the Dr. Suning Wang Award for Outstanding Graduate Mentorship)

Excellence in graduate mentorship will be assessed based on the supervisor’s demonstrated ability to:

• Inspire, guide and challenge students to achieve excellence and integrity in scholarship;

• Provide a supportive environment that stimulates creativity, debate, engagement and

dialogue, and progression toward timely completion;

• Support students in ways that are tailored to their individual learning styles, needs, and

career/future aspirations;

• Encourage students to pursue opportunities to share and disseminate their research and

scholarly activities within and beyond academia; and

• Support students in developing their academic and professional competencies and

transitioning beyond graduate studies.

Selection Committee

The Graduate Mentorship Award Committee will be chaired by the Dean of Graduate Studies, and members will be selected annually by the Faculty of Graduate Studies Council at its February meeting (after the nominations have been received). One faculty member (must be a member of Faculty of Graduate Studies) will be selected from each Faculty with graduate programs and one graduate student will be selected from the graduate student members of Faculty of Graduate Studies Council. The Manager of Graduate Studies will serve in an advisory capacity as a non-voting member of the committee. Faculty members who have been nominated for the award or are in a conflict of interest with a nominee for the award may not serve on the committee.

Nominations and Dossiers are submitted to the Dean of Graduate Studies c/o admin.grad@lakeheadu.ca. Late submissions of nominations and dossiers will not be accepted.