The Ontario Tech University Award of Excellence in Graduate Supervision was established in 2018 to recognize faculty members who have displayed excellence in the mentorship and supervision of graduate students at the university.
One award is presented annually. The winner will represent excellence in an array of characteristics attributed to graduate supervision. It is a testament to the quality supervision and mentorship that inspires graduate students to become successful scholars and professionals.
The nominee should hold a Graduate Faculty Appointment and must have supervised graduate students at the university for a minimum of six years.
Nominees not selected to receive an award may be nominated in a subsequent year.
Previous recipients are not eligible for a period of 10 years following the year in which they received the award.
Nomination packages may be submitted by any currently enrolled graduate student.
A complete nomination package will contain:
*Supporting documentation may be submitted in one of two ways:
The award will normally be given out annually and will typically correspond to the SGPS Excellence Awards cycle. As such, the submission deadline for nomination packages will normally be the last week of May. The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies will announce the submission dates as part of the call for nominations.
The 2025 nominations will open on Tuesday, February 4 and will close on Friday, March 7.
Excellence is judged on the quality of supervision and mentorship that inspire graduate students to become successful scholars and professionals. Characteristics include engagement, availability, quality and timeliness of guidance and feedback, responsiveness to student needs, and enthusiasm for the pursuit of knowledge. In addition, the supervisor must promote timely completion of the thesis and encourage the career development of the student through the provision of leadership and support in academic matters such as publishing, presenting and applying for funding.
The Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies or their designate will chair a selection committee. The committee will consist of no more than three graduate faculty members. Committee membership will reflect the diverse research disciplines at the university and when possible should include at least one of the previous award winners. The committee will review the application packages and recommend the recipient to the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
All nominees will be notified of their status after public announcement of the award recipients.
Each award consists of a recognition plaque. The award will be publicly announced during the annual faculty/staff awards ceremony.