Nominate Outstanding Faculty and Staff for Ver Steeg Awards

Deadline:  The deadline for the 2011-2012 Academic Year is Friday, June 8, 2012.

Overview:

Named for Clarence Ver Steeg, former Northwestern University Professor in History and Dean of the Graduate School from 1975 to 1986, this award recognizes one outstanding non-faculty staff person and two Graduate Faculty members each year for excellence in work with graduate students in The Graduate School.

Staff play important roles in the academic and personal well-being of graduate students; they welcome, orient, advise, encourage, support, and advocate for students. The Clarence Ver Steeg Graduate Staff Award recognizes the importance to graduate education of the academic, organizational and administrative skills and contributions of Northwestern University’s professional, administrative, and support staff.

Graduate Faculty play a critical role in supporting and encouraging the academic and professional development of graduate students. They are advisors and role models for students in research, ethical conduct, professional responsibility, and personal development. The Clarence Ver Steeg Graduate Faculty Award affords students the opportunity to recognize individual faculty members for their outstanding efforts in these areas.

Award:

Clarence Ver Steeg Graduate Award recipients will be recognized at The Graduate School Recognition Dinner and will receive a certificate of recognition and a $3,000 award.

Eligibility:

All Northwestern University staff members who work with master’s and PhD students in The Graduate School are eligible for this award.  Staff nominees are evaluated for consistent and outstanding academic and administrative support of graduate students, including:

  • Fostering a departmental climate of support
  • Contributing to innovative programs
  • Direct service
  • Supporting graduate students in their academic, professional, and personal development

All members of the Graduate Faculty at Northwestern University who work with PhD students, including emeriti, are eligible to be nominated for this award. Nominees are evaluated for the quality of the guidance and mentoring they provide to graduate students and their exceptional contributions to graduate education, including:

  • organizing and providing a supportive environment for research and scholarship, including teaching and modeling ethical and responsible conduct, careful advising and instruction in teaching
  • enhancing students’ academic and professional skills in presenting, writing and publishing and in preparing fellowship applications and grants
  • sponsoring students’ entry into the academic and professional community of the discipline
  • guiding students in administrative, organizational, and professional matters
  • helping students achieve post-doctoral and career placement and professional success
  • serving as a role model of successful mentoring and training graduate students to effectively supervise and mentor
Nomination Instructions:

Compile the following materials into a single PDF file and email the file to gradfund@northwestern.edu by 5:00 PM on the deadline.

1)  Nomination cover page, including the following information:

  • Name of nominee
  • Program of nominee
  • Title of nominee (faculty or staff)
  • Email of nominee
  • Name of nominating student
  • Email address of nominating student

2)  Nomination narrative: A narrative of not more than two pages that explains how the nominee fulfills the selection criteria for this award. 

3)  Letters of support (optional).  The nomination may be accompanied by letters of support from current or former graduate students in addition to the nomination narrative. There is no limit for the number of supporting letters.


Past Award Recipients:

2010-2011

Faculty:
Linda Broadbelt, Chemical and Biological Engineering
Christopher Bush, French and Italian

Staff: Tracy Tohtz, Anthropology

2009-2010

Faculty:
Timothy Earle, Anthropology
J. Keith Murnighan, Management and Organizations

Staff:  Adam Cebulski, Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences

2008-2009

Faculty:
Darren Gergle, Communication Studies
David Nadler, Mathematics

Staff: Rossitza Guenkova-Fernandez, Religion

2007-2008

Faculty:
Matthew Goldrick, Linguistics
Angela Ray, Communication Studies

Staff:  Mark Seniw, Materials Science and Engineering

2006-2007

Faculty:
Jeanne Brett, Management & Organizations
E. Patrick Johnson, Performance Studies

2005-2006

Faculty:
Robert Lerner, History
Indira Raman, Neuroscience; Neurobiology & Physiology

Staff: Elizabeth Luby, Theatre

2004-2005

Faculty:
Alvin Bayliss, Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics
Carol A Heimer, Sociology

Staff:  Richard Garza, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Center for Advanced Cement-Based Materials

2003-2004

Faculty:
James Brown, Anthropology
Tracy Davis, Theatre & Drama

Staff: Alan Shefsky, Performance Studies

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