Graduate Student Supervisor Awards

The purpose of these awards is to recognize those faculty members who excel in the supervision of graduate students. The nominee must be the current supervisor of a current graduate student(s).

While holding a Tri-Council grant is not a requirement for this award, one or more Certificate(s) of Distinction may be conferred annually to a supervisor in each of the Tri-Council areas of the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSHRC), Natural Sciences and Engineering (NSERC), and Health Sciences (CIHR).

The nomination period for the 2024 GSA Recognition Awards will open soon!

Submit your nominations from December 1, 2023 to January 15, 2024.

Winners will be notified in mid-February and asked to attend the GSA Awards Ceremony in March.
Nominator
Nominees must be nominated by a current graduate student at the University of Alberta. Self-nominations are not accepted; group nominations are not accepted.
Eligibility

The nominee must be the current supervisor of a current graduate student(s).

Nomination Packages

Nominees must submit 1 copy of the completed nomination package for each Recognition Award for which they are submitting a nonination. All components of the nomination package must be received together by the GSA office in order for a nomination package to be considered complete. All materials must be submitted as a completed nomination package in the form of one PDF via e-mail to gsaad@ualberta.ca.

A completed nomination package must include ONLY the following components and no others:

  1. Completed Nominee Information Form for Faculty/Staff.
  2. Two letters of support that address how the nominee meets the criteria stated under Adjudication: Criteria.
    • Both letters must be written by graduate students.
    • Letters must be signed; electronic signatures are acceptable.
    • Letters must be submitted as part of the complete nomination package; letters sent separately will not be accepted.
Late or Incomplete Nomination Packages
  • Incomplete packages will not be accepted or adjudicated.
  • Nomination packages received that are time-stamped after the nomination deadline will be considered late and will not be accepted or adjudicated.
  • Nomination packages will be considered incomplete without any of the components listed above and will not be accepted or adjudicated. Letters will not be accepted separately.
    • Advise your letter writers that letters submitted after the nomination deadline will not be accepted. Based on our past experiences with late letters of support, we encourage nominators to obtain letters of support well in advance of the deadline to ensure the nomination package is complete. We also strongly advise that nominators inform letter writers of the deadline information.
Adjudication

Criteria

The Graduate Student Supervisor Awards will be adjudicated on the basis of four (4) criteria:

  1. Excellence in mentoring and supervision;
  2. Leadership amongst their peers in engaging graduate students;
  3. Contribution to graduate student professional development; and
  4. Overall commitment to the success of graduate students in their programs.

Each criterion will be ranked on a scale of 1-5 (5 being high) and then added to determine the total rank for the nominee.

Policy and Procedure
  1. Nominations will be reviewed by the GSA staff for eligibility and completeness (see Eligibility Criteria and Nomination Information above).
  2. According to its mandate, the GSA Awards Selection Committee (GSA ASC) "is responsible for selecting the recipients of the Council-approved GSA Recognition Awards" and "the GSA ASC may decide not to give out an award in a particular category if a qualified candidate is not identified" (Section O: GSA Recognition Awards, GSA Policy, GSA Standing Committees, GSA Awards and Selection Committee, Sections O.POL.5.1 and O.POL.5.2).
  3. Results of the adjudication will be sent to nominators and nominees via email.