Killam Awards for Excellence in Mentoring
Quick Facts
The Killam Awards for Excellence in Mentoring are based on sustained mentorship of numerous graduate students over many years. The awards will be adjudicated by a committee chaired by the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. The Killam General Endowment at the University of British Columbia, as administered by the Office of the Provost and Vice President Academic, provides the funds for the awards.
Friday, October 7, 2011; check with department regarding internal deadline
Eligibility
All continuing academic staff members with a clinical, tenure or grant tenure appointment at the University of British Columbia are eligible to be nominated. Nominees may be at any stage in their academic career, but one award will recognize faculty members in the mid-career category – that is, for those who have held university appointments for up to 11 years – and the other will recognize faculty members in the senior category – that is, for those with 12 or more years of university service.
Note: There is a three-year window of eligibility for all nominations.
Unsuccessful nominations will be forwarded into the next competition, to a three-year limit. However to ensure nomination packages are completely up-to-date, we ask that interested nominators prepare a newly updated package for each competition year including reference letters dated for the current year.
Evaluation Criteria
The awards recognize one senior and one mid-career faculty members’ outstanding ability to create effective working relationships and constructive interactions that offer appropriate guidance, feedback, and support, and involve encouragement, openness, trust, and mutual respect. The faculty member should also possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and be able to stimulate graduate students' thinking and actions. Nominations will be adjudicated in recognition of the faculty members’ proven ability in these areas. Preference will be given to faculty members who have displayed sustained mentorship activity over many years involving many students. The awards will be awarded based on the quality and extent of mentoring of graduate students.
Procedures
Each department is entitled to submit one nomination for each category to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Each department may use whatever procedures it deems appropriate in the selection of its nominee(s) and should consider nominations forwarded by graduate students.
Each nomination package must include a letter of support from the Department Head or representative, together with appropriate supporting materials such as the following:
- A statement detailing why the nominee qualifies for the award, including the following information:
- the essential and unique features of mentoring within the discipline in question
- student productivity, as reflected in publications, conference papers, artistic performances and shows, and other scholarly accomplishments by students mentored
- student progress, as reflected in retention rates, timely graduation, student satisfaction with graduate supervision, and student involvement in professional organizations
- student placement, as reflected in the success of former students including positions held and contributions made to their chosen field
- A short statement by the mentor about how he or she approaches the mentoring role, including comments on activities to promote student success
- The nominee’s current curriculum vitae, including a chronological listing of all individuals mentored and brief descriptions of their subsequent awards, their successes, and their career paths (some of this information will complement the information included above)
- Up to a maximum of eight letters of support (all must bear the author’s original signature) from individuals who are being/were mentored by the nominee, each including a summary of the author’s experience with the nominee and subsequent career development
Materials regarding undergraduate teaching will not be considered for the competition and should not be included in nomination packages.
Submission Procedures:
Departments may submit up to two nomination packages, one nomination per category.
A nomination package consists of the original plus five copies. Each copy must be double-sided and stapled or bound together like a book. Please do not enclose materials in three-ring binders.
Nomination deadline: 4:00 PM, Friday, October 7, 2011
Submit nomination packages to:
Dr. Rhodri Windsor-Liscombe
Associate Dean, Scholarships and Awards
Re: Killam Awards for Excellence in Mentoring
Faculty of Graduate Studies
The University of British Columbia
170-6371 Crescent Road
Vancouver BC V6T 1Z2
Canada
Further Information
Please direct questions about the Killam Awards for Excellence in Mentoring to killam@interchange.ubc.ca.
