Davis Division of the Academic Senate
Distinguished Graduate Mentoring Awards
2005 Call for Nominations

15 November, 2004

The Distinguished Teaching Award Committee invites nominations of candidates for the 2005 Awards for Distinguished Graduate Mentoring (DGMA), an award that recognizes excellence in all facets of graduate or professional education. (The nomination form can be completed online by clicking on the link below.) Nominators must include students and alumni who have been the direct beneficiaries of the candidate's teaching and mentoring and who can relate their experiences first-hand. Current and former graduate/professional students are expected to be the main nominators.

Any Academic Senate member affiliated with a graduate or professional degree-granting program in which s/he can direct advanced degree work can be nominated for the DGMA. Nominees must have an outstanding career record of educating graduate and/or professional students at UC Davis.

Nominations should include:

• A completed online nomination form. (or Word Document)
• Two letters, that are not longer than 1200 words each; one from a student or alumni who has been a direct beneficiary of the candidate's mentoring and the other from a faculty member, student (graduate or professional), or alumni who is able to provide information about the nominee's mentoring skills.
• A list of students for whom the nominee has served as major professor for the last five years.

These letters need to address two perspectives. One letter should deal with the student perspective and identify the distinguishing characteristics of the candidate in terms of outstanding classroom teaching and advising practices, showing a commitment to invest the time and effort needed to foster an environment in which students are able to develop to their full intellectual capacity, while also ensuring that they become professionals with the highest ethical standards. It is required that this letter be written by one or more current or former students. The other letter should provide a long-term perspective that identifies continued excellence in graduate education. This letter could be prepared by a student, but may be more easily written by the Chair of the appropriate department or unit or by a colleague who is familiar with the nominee's qualifications for the award.

The letters should provide a fairly comprehensive account of the special qualities and accomplishments that warrant the candidate's being considered as a distinguished graduate educator, and they should draw upon a wide range of comments from graduate/professional students. Those who prepare the letters should keep in mind that the Committee is especially interested in receiving information that documents effectiveness as well as information that verifies the faculty member's long-term, successful record. All information associated with the nomination must be submitted by the deadline of January 14, 2005.

Given the academic diversity of the UC Davis campus, there cannot be any single set of criteria to measure excellence in education. The following set of sample criteria is meant merely as a guidepost for nominators:

• promotes intellectual growth and critical thinking.
• maintains the highest standards of professional conduct and personal ethics and guides students to emulate such standards.
• teaches by example: setting and consistently attaining high standards of professional scholarship, creating quality publications and willingly engaging in outreach activities.
• fosters the development of graduate or professional students' communication skills, both written and oral, as appropriate for the students' disciplines by critiquing written work and oral presentations; is available for editorial assistance in the preparation of the thesis or dissertation and evaluates its progress in a timely manner.
• is accessible to students, communicates effectively and respectfully and promotes such interactions.
• educates students in the culture and procedures appropriate to their discipline; helps students network with other scholars in the field.
• provides career guidance, actively helping students to find professionally-relevant employment.
• actively assists students' progress through the degree in a timely manner and helps students develop in those areas particularly critical to their professional success.
• significant contributions to improved and innovative teaching

Supporting material should not be attached to the original nomination; however, the nominators should compile documentary evidence to support the nomination if further information is requested by the Committee. The Committee functions only in terms of material presented to it, therefore it is important that the letters of preliminary nomination make the best case possible within the space limitation.

Deadline for Nominations: All letters must be received in the Academic Senate Office before 5:00 PM, Friday, January 14, 2005.

Questions concerning nominations may be addressed to Marci Buell, Academic Senate office (752-2220) at the above address or to individual members of this year's Committee who are:

Undergraduate Student Representatives
TBD

Graduate Student Representative
TBD

Faculty Representatives
Michael Saler, (Chair) History (2-1637)
Debra Long, Psychology (2-1851)
Anita Oberbauer, Animal Science (2-4997)
James Shackelford , Chem Engr & Mat Sci (2-9906)
Susan Tucker , Chemistry (2-2203)