Awards for NAU Graduate Students

2020 Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) Award Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Submission Deadline: 11:59 pm Sunday, January 26, 2020

 To apply for this award you must have been nominated by a faculty member, staff member, or administrator: Nomination Form (deadline: November 11, 2019 at 11:59 p.m.).

You will be notified in an email from GradAwards@nau.edu that you have been nominated. If nominated, please develop your portfolio and submit it electronically by uploading a single Word document or a single PDF to the Submission Form link that you will receive in the email. Make sure that you have a final version of your portfolio ready to upload before opening the Submission Form.

 Include each of the following sections, in this order, single-spaced, with the title at the top of each section, maintaining maximum word counts for each section:

1. A list of research-related work that you have completed or plan to complete for the 2019-2020 academic year. Include a description of your research plans and accomplishments. In other words, tell us what you do as a GRA. (This section should not exceed 650 words.*) How does your work advance your discipline or thesis/dissertation?

2. A personal statement of your research philosophy, including how this is reflected in what you do as a GRA. What principles do you follow? Is your research driven by a particular methodology? What has helped you formulate this philosophy? You may wish to think about how you apply your general work ethic or philosophy in your work as a GRA. (This section should not exceed 350 words.*) What do you do as a GRA, and why do you do it this way?

3. A description of actual research-related accomplishments or milestones that you have achieved as a GRA and a commentary on how and why they are significant. The review committee is interested in knowing why you have chosen to include this example. What impact has this accomplishment had on the overall research project? (This section should not exceed 750 words.*) You may include the research-related artifacts (e.g., data, formulas, photos, images, tables, charts) as part of this single Word document or single PDF. What is an example of your research-related accomplishments or milestones, and what does your example illustrate about your research philosophy?

4. A brief description of your participation in activities designed to improve and/or evaluate your research (e.g., workshops, participation in trainings and/or professional development events, response to mentor feedback). (This section should not exceed 400 words.*) How have you sought to improve and/or evaluate your research skills, and how have you applied what you have learned?

5. One letter of recommendation from an individual who is familiar with your research-related accomplishments. This letter can be from the person who nominated you or from someone else. The letter of recommendation may be sent directly to the Graduate College at GradAwards@nau.edu (received by 11:59 pm Sunday, January 26, 2020) or submitted as part of your portfolio.

6. A brief statement on your progress toward degree completion (e.g., I anticipate graduating with a <Master’s/doctoral> degree in <program of study>, in <month, year>.) (This section should not exceed 75 words.*)

 * Applications with sections exceeding word limits will not be considered; please check the word count for each section carefully. Thanks. There are no word limits for the letter of recommendation (section 5).

For assistance with submission of portfolios, contact GradAwards@nau.edu.

2020 Outstanding GRA Award Review Matrix

2020 Outstanding Graduate Service Assistant (GSA) Award Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Submission Deadline: 11:59 pm Sunday, January 26, 2020

To apply for this award you must have been nominated by a faculty member, staff member, or administrator: Nomination Form (deadline: November 11, 2019 at 11:59 p.m.).

You will be notified in an email from GradAwards@nau.edu that you have been nominated. If nominated, please develop your portfolio and submit it electronically by uploading a single Word document or a single PDF to the Submission Form link that you will receive in the email. Make sure that you have a final version of your portfolio ready to upload before opening the Submission Form.

Include each of the following sections, in this order, single-spaced, with the title at the top of each section, maintaining maximum word counts for each section:

1. A list of work-related assignments that you have completed or plan to complete for the 2019-2020 academic year. Include a brief description of your work duties or tasks in your service placement. In other words, tell us what you do as a GSA. (This section should not exceed 400 words.*) What have you done, and in what settings?

2. A personal statement of your work philosophy, including how this is reflected in what you do as a GSA. What has helped you formulate this philosophy? (This section should not exceed 600 words.*) What do you do as a GSA, and why do you do it this way?

3. A description of an actual work-related assignment you personally have created and/or used in your job as a GSA and a commentary on how and why you prepared and used these materials or this approach. The review committee is interested in knowing why you have chosen to include this example and how it helps or helped you meet a work-related goal or task. Please be sure to specify whether you created the materials for the assignment (i.e., they’re original) or you adapted an existing one in some unique way; or, whether your approach to the assignment is or was novel (i.e., original) or whether you adapted an existing one in a unique way. What impact have you observed in the use of these materials/this approach? The commentary counts more than the description. (This section should not exceed 750 words.*) You may include the work-related assignment (e.g., project, event invitation or program, newsletter, handbook, pamphlet) as part of this single Word document or single PDF. What is an example of work-related materials that you have developed or an approach that you have used, and what does your example illustrate about your work and work philosophy?

4. A brief description of your participation in activities designed to improve and/or evaluate your work (e.g., workshops, participation in trainings and/or professional development events, observation feedback, response to mentor feedback). (This section should not exceed 400 words.*) How have you sought to learn about your work-related duties and tasks, and how have you applied what you have learned?

5. One letter of recommendation from an individual who is familiar with your work-related activities and abilities. This letter can be from the person who nominated you or from someone else. The letter of recommendation may be sent directly to the Graduate College at GradAwards@nau.edu (received by 11:59 pm Sunday, January 26, 2020) or submitted as part of your portfolio.

6. A brief statement on your progress toward degree completion (e.g., I anticipate graduating with a <Master’s/doctoral> degree in <program of study>, in <month, year>.) (This section should not exceed 75 words.*)

* Applications with sections exceeding word limits will not be considered; please check the word count for each section carefully. Thanks. There are no word limits for the letter of recommendation (section 5).

For assistance with submission of portfolios, contact GradAwards@nau.edu.

2020 Outstanding GSA Award Review Matrix

2020 Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Award Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Submission Deadline: 11:59 pm Sunday, January 26, 2020

 To apply for this award you must have been nominated by a faculty member, staff member, or administrator: Nomination Form (deadline: November 11, 2019 at 11:59 p.m.).

You will be notified in an email from GradAwards@nau.edu that you have been nominated. If nominated, please develop your portfolio and submit it electronically by uploading a single Word document or a single PDF to the Submission Form link that you will receive in the email. Make sure that you have a final version of your portfolio ready to upload before opening the Submission Form.

 Include each of the following sections, in this order, single-spaced, with the title at the top of each section, maintaining maximum word counts for each section:

1. A list of your teaching-related assignments for the 2019-2020 academic year. Include a brief description of the course/s (e.g., a liberal studies course, a discussion section, a lab) and the approximate number of students you worked with or are currently working with (e.g., number of students tutored, advised, counseled, enrolled in your labs or courses). In other words, tell us what you do as a GTA. (This section should not exceed 250 words.*) What have you taught/are you teaching, and in what settings?

2. A personal statement of your philosophy of teaching, including how this is reflected in what you do as a GTA. What has helped you formulate this philosophy**? (For those of you who are not classroom teachers, explain how your philosophy of teaching is expressed in your lab activities, tutoring sessions, one-on-one or small group activities, etc. (This section should not exceed 750 words.*) What do you do as a GTA, and why do you do it this way?

3. A description of an actual teaching practice or assignment that you personally have created and/or used in your teaching and a commentary on how and why you prepared and used these materials or this approach. The review committee is interested in knowing why you have chosen to include this example*** and how it helps you to teach what you set out to teach. Please be sure to specify whether you created the activity (i.e., it’s an original activity) or you adapted an existing one in some unique way; or, whether your teaching practice is novel (i.e., original) or whether you adapted an existing one in a unique way. What impact on student learning have you observed in the use of these materials/this approach? The commentary counts more than the description. (This section should not exceed 750 words.*) You may include the materials as part of this single Word document or single PDF. What is an example of teaching/learning materials that you have developed, and what does your example illustrate about your teaching?

4. A brief description of your participation in activities designed to improve and/or evaluate your teaching (e.g., teaching workshops, round-table discussions, associations, participation in course or curriculum development, professional reading about teaching, observation feedback, response to mentor feedback). (This section should not exceed 400 words.*) How have you sought to learn about teaching and learning, and how have you applied what you have learned?

5. One letter of recommendation from an individual who is familiar with your teaching-related activities and abilities. This letter can be from the person who nominated you or from someone else. The letter of recommendation may be sent directly to the Graduate College at GradAwards@nau.edu (received by 11:59pm, January 26, 2020) or submitted as part of your portfolio.

6. A brief statement on your progress toward degree completion (e.g., I anticipate graduating with a <Master’s/doctoral> degree in <program of study>, in <month, year>.) (This section should not exceed 75 words.*)

* Applications with sections exceeding word limits will not be considered; please check the word count for each section carefully. Thanks. There are no word limits for the letter of recommendation (section 5).

**Consider attending the Faculty Development: GTA Series Develop a Teaching Statement on Tuesday, December 3, 2019 from 9:30-10:30 in Cline Library, room 169 or remotely via ZOOM.

***Consider attending the Graduate College Professional Development Event: Career Conference on Friday November 15, 2019 from 11:00-3:00 in Health and Learning Center, room 2405.

For assistance with submission of portfolios, contact GradAwards@nau.edu.

2020 Outstanding GTA Award Review Matrix

• Individual faculty, administrators, or staff may nominate outstanding students for this award. Each academic college is assigned its own month of the academic year, during which time the top student will be recognized. (Please see below.)
• Students may be nominated based on accomplishments / qualities exhibited at any point during the current academic year, e.g., a professor may observe a graduate student who showed exceptional teaching skills in October and then nominate the student the following April).
• Nominations from students are not accepted.
• Nominations are accepted through the 15th of each month, except for the month of April, whose nominations are due by April 5 so that the evaluation committee has time to make their selection for April prior to the Graduate College Awards Ceremony on April 21, 2019.
• College faculty, administrators, or staff may nominate any current graduate student, even if the student’s degree program is offered through a different college (e.g., a COE professor can nominate a CAL student who showed marked improvement in an Educational Psychology course; the COE professor would nominate the student in COE’s recognition month – January).
•  A college may nominate more than one student in their college’s designated month.
  Nominators do not need to consult with one another or come to a consensus on a nominee.
• Nominees must be current, active students during the month of the nomination.
• If no nominations are received from a college during its recognition month, the evaluation committee will consider previous nominations from any college.

August: Graduate College administrators and staff nominate graduate students by Aug. 15

September: CAL faculty, administrators, and staff nominate graduate students by Sept. 15

October: CEIAS faculty, administrators, and staff nominate graduate students by Oct. 15

November: CEFNS faculty, administrators, and staff nominate graduate students by Nov. 15

December: CHHS faculty, administrators, and staff nominate graduate students by Dec. 15

January: COE faculty, administrators, and staff nominate graduate students by Jan. 15

February: FCB faculty, administrators, and staff nominate graduate students by Feb. 15

March: College of Online, Off-campus, and Education Innovation (Master of Organizational Leadership, Global Business Administration, and Personalized Learning only) faculty, administrators, and staff nominate graduate students by Mar. 15

April: SBS faculty, administrators, and staff nominate a graduate student by Apr. 5*
*Please note the earlier deadline.

Nominators will be asked to provide basic contact information and the answer to this one question: How does the student embody the qualities and behaviors that are valued at NAU?

Judging matrix

Any questions can be directed to the Associate Dean of the Graduate College: Karina.Collentine@nau.edu