Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award
The Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award honors graduate student Teachers of Record who were able to balance their own studies and responsibilities while demonstrating excellence as classroom instructors. To qualify, a person must have taught at least three classroom instruction or two lab instruction credit hours as a Teacher of Record during the semester. Nominees are chosen based on student evaluations and the input of their Graduate Program Director, with a maximum of two nominations from each department. Previous winners are ineligible to apply for a second award. Nominees are informed of their selection and offered the opportunity to apply for the Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award. Applications include a statement of teaching philosophy, a list of participation in programs to develop teaching skills, recommendation letters from both a mentor and a classroom student, and the complete student evaluations from all courses taught during the semester. A panel of judges ranks each application to choose the top outstanding award recipient.
The award is given in the areas of Humanities, Social Sciences, STEM Class Instruction, and STEM Lab Instruction, for a total of 4 awards per semester, recognized at the annual Graduate School Recognition Luncheon. Recipients are honored at the luncheon, given a plaque to commemorate their achievement, and granted an additional travel award to be used to attend a conference. They may alternately opt for the purchase of their doctoral hood and tam.
Note: As of the 2023-24 award cycle, criteria for the award changed, including allowing graduating students to be eligible for the award, reducing the nominees per department from three to two, and separating the STEM category into Classroom and Lab Instruction.
2023-2024 Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award Winners
Social Sciences — Fall 2023
STEM Lab Instruction — Fall 2023
STEM Classroom Instruction — Fall 2023
STEM Classroom Instruction — Spring 2024
Social Sciences — Spring 2024