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Graduate Student Awards 2025

Graduate Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences invites you to nominate outstanding graduate students for the Graduate Student Awards 2025. Any graduate student enrolled in a degree program within the College of Arts and Sciences, including Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies (IGS) programs instructed by faculty within the College, is eligible for nomination, based on the criteria below. Previous winners of the Graduate School GTA award are not eligible for the teaching awards. Each award includes a plaque and a $1,000 scholarship that will be added to the recipient’s statement of account. Questions can be sent to Brian Orefice, Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies, orefice.1@osu.edu.

Award Categories

  • Graduate Student Award for Distinguished Service (up to 2 awards):
    • One award to honor a student who demonstrates excellence in service to the department, college, university, or community.  The nominee should go above and beyond the scope of their graduate assistantship or fellowship.
  • Graduate Student Award for Mentoring Excellence (up to 2 awards):
    • One award to honor a student who demonstrates excellence in mentoring. The nominee should be an advanced graduate student who provides exemplary and effective mentoring for undergraduate and/or new graduate students. The nature of the mentoring may include mentees’ personal, professional, and/or academic success.
       
  • Graduate Student Award for Diversity Enhancement (up to 2 awards):
    • One award to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of any graduate student whose research, teaching, and/or service/outreach activities promote diversity by supporting a culture that embraces and exhibits inclusion, community and belonging.
       
  • Graduate Student Award for Teaching Excellence (up to 3 awards):
    • Three awards to recognize excellence in teaching by a graduate student in any instructional capacity, including instructor of record, recitation, or lab. Nominees must have served as a GTA for at least two semesters within the last two years (GTAs currently teaching in their second semester are eligible).
       

Nomination Process

  • Nominations can be submitted from faculty, staff, or graduate students. Self-nominations are also invited but should be accompanied by at least one letter of support, which can be included in the nomination packet or emailed directly to Assistant Dean Brian Orefice at orefice.1@osu.edu if the recommender prefers.
  • A resume or CV is required.
  • A nomination letter is required (1,000 words maximum). Please address the following items as appropriate:
    • Distinguished Service, Mentoring Excellence, and Diversity Enhancement
      1. Describe the type of service, mentoring, or diversity efforts, including the time and/or level of commitment.
      2. Provide examples of how the student demonstrates innovation, creativity, or engagement in their activities.
      3. Highlight any involvement or leadership in campus or off-campus organizations, issues, or activities.
    • Teaching Excellence
      1. Describe the teaching experience, including the time and/or level of commitment.
      2. Provide examples of how the student demonstrates innovation, creativity, or engagement in their activities.
      3. Provide SEIs and/or qualitative student teaching evaluations during two semesters (as supplemental material).
      4. Highlight any involvement in training for improvement and innovation in teaching excellence.
  • In addition to the nomination letter, supplemental materials are also encouraged, but not required (except for SEIs for the teaching awards). Supplemental materials may include up to 2 additional letter(s) of support (each 1,000 words max).
  • Nominations should be submitted online at the form linked below.

Submit nomination


Timeline

  • Nominations are due Monday, March 3, 2025
  • Award recipients will be notified by early April and invited to the College of Arts & Sciences Spring Reception on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, where they will receive their plaque.