RIT Provost’s Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award
RIT Provost’s Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award
The RIT Provost’s Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award recognizes a current full-time RIT graduate student who demonstrates exceptional ability in teaching and a strong commitment to the student learning experience.
Presented by the Office of the Provost and facilitated by the RIT Graduate School, the award celebrates the important contributions graduate students make to teaching and learning at RIT.
Nominations for the next RIT Provost’s Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award will open later this academic year. Additional information will be posted on this page when the nomination period opens.
Eligibility
- The nominee must be a current, full-time RIT graduate student, and have a GPA of at least 3.5 overall
- The nominee must have been involved in teaching at RIT for at least one semester and be in a GTA role for some portion of the year they are nominated
- Graduate students who support or engage in teaching, supervise laboratory sections and/or recitation sections or their own courses are equally eligible
At RIT, teaching may include broad activities, such as in-class or laboratory/studio presentation and supervision, creation of engaging curricula, designing educational experiences, etc. Those who serve in an additional capacity, such as lecturers or adjuncts, are not eligible for this award and should instead be nominated for the Outstanding Teaching Award for Non-Tenure Track Faculty.
Nominations
Faculty, students, staff, administrators, and alumni may initiate nominations, including self-nominations.
The nomination deadline will be posted when the current award cycle opens.
Nominations must address the candidate’s impact on student learning by providing examples and explaining why the nominator believes the nominee exemplifies outstanding teaching, particularly in comparison to peers within their department. Additional letters of support or materials are welcome but not required. Nominees under consideration will be notified by the RIT Graduate School.
To accept the nomination, nominees will be asked to submit a review packet by mid December. Additional time is allotted for current-semester course evaluations, which are due by the first week of January to accommodate end-of-semester and winter break schedules.
Nominees are asked to include the following required* information as part of their review packet:
- CV or resume* Including full name and RIT email address
- List of courses or teaching experiences that should be considered*
- Digital Eligibility Form submitted by the Department Head, Teaching Coordinator, or Graduate Program Director, or other supervisor, confirming GTA status and GPA*
- Course Evaluations and student feedback (Current semester course evaluations have an extension in early January)
- Additional information, such as critique guides, assignments, syllabi, and letters of support (not required)
Each file submitted should include the nominee’s last name as part of the file name. Incomplete submissions will not be reviewed.
Review Process
A review committee will convene to complete reviews and recommend an awardee to the Provost. Depending upon the candidate pool, the review committee may recommend an award for both an MS/MFA GTA and a PhD GTA. The review committee may, with the concurrence of the Provost and the graduate dean, recommend recognition of finalists for the award.
Presentation
Award recipients will be honored at the Provost’s Celebration of Teaching and Scholarship awards in late spring. The awardee also receives a certificate and check (currently $500.00).
Provost's Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award Contact:
