Nominations: Graduate Supervision

Eligibility

Continuing tenured or tenure-track faculty members who have supervised graduate students for a minimum of 5 years at SFU shall be eligible for this Award.

Normally two awards will be given each year. Minimally one award each will be in the two categories defined by the Canadian Association of Graduate Studies:

• Fine Arts/Humanities/ Social Sciences
• Engineering/Medical Sciences/Natural Sciences

Note: If a junior faculty member is not a recipient of either of these two awards, a third award may be given to recognize a faculty member in the early stage of his or her career (less than ten years from initiating a tenure-track or equivalent appointment) who has built an exceptional graduate student supervision record for that career stage.

Criteria

• Sustained record of excellent graduate supervision
• Ability to stimulate graduate students to think creatively and critically
  
• Provision of a supportive environment to develop as a scholar
  
• Commitment to the graduate student learning experience
  
• Fosters research, performance and/or practice-based skill development
  
• Demonstrated enthusiasm for and innovation in graduate student instruction/teaching
  
• Provides exceptional guidance to students applying for internal/external financial support
  
• Student's supervised degree completion times and degree completion rates relative to program expectations.

Process

Nominations should include a completed nomination form and nomination letters from the Graduate Program Chair and graduate students. The nomination letter should profile the nominee's record in excellent graduate supervision.

Required documents:

• Letters of support from the Graduate Program Chair and Department Chair
• Letters of support from at least three current or former graduate students

• Abbreviated CV outlining nominee's record related to graduate student supervision

Email correspondence may be sent to to all current and previously supervised students requesting a supervisory evaluation on each nominee.

The committee adjudicates the awards based on the criteria above.

Re-nomination

Nominations from the previous year will be considered only if they meet all of the conditions of the initial nomination and an updated nomination package.

The package must include:

• a current nominations form signed by the nominee and all nominators; new letters of support from the Graduate Program Chair and/or Department Chair or Dean
• new letters or documents of support from graduate students
• an updated CV

Prizes

Each award consists of:

• one targeted Graduate Fellowship (GF) of $7,000 that can be awarded in the following academic year to a graduate student of their choice (the student must meet the terms of reference for a GF)
• the recipient’s name is inscribed on a permanent plaque housed in the Thesis Defence Room
• the recipient receives a trophy inscribed with their name and award