1. Rackham Master’s Mentoring Award

Rackham Master’s Mentoring Award

The Rackham Master’s Mentoring Awards recognize faculty from any discipline who are outstanding mentors to master’s students, particularly for those in programs for which the master’s is the terminal degree.

  • General Information

    Eligibility

    Faculty members who have an outstanding record of advising Rackham master’s students may be nominated for these awards. Nominees may be a tenured or tenure-track faculty member, or a lecturer, clinical, or research faculty member. Nominations of outstanding women, minorities and members of other groups historically underrepresented in their disciplines are encouraged.

    Selection Criteria

    The Rackham Master’s Mentoring Awards honor mentors who, through a variety of forms, demonstrate commitment to fostering the intellectual, creative, and professional growth of their master’s students.

    Number of Awards

    Two awards in the amount of $1,500.

    Source of Nominations

    Nominations may be submitted by deans, directors, department/program heads, promotion or award committees, or individual faculty members.

    Selection Process

    A committee of faculty who have been recognized as outstanding mentors will review nominations and submits recommendations to the Dean of the Graduate School, who makes the final selection. Recipients will be notified in the winter term and awards will be formally presented at a ceremony.

    Deadline

    The nomination deadline is Monday, January 20, 2025, at 5:00pm, EST.

    For more information contact:

    Honors and Awards
    Rackham Graduate School
    Telephone: (734) 615-0255
    Email: [email protected]

  • Guidelines for Preparing Nominations

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    As described below, a nomination dossier must include a cover sheet with contact information, a nominating letter, and curriculum vitae. Incomplete nomination dossiers cannot be reviewed. For each nomination dossier, the Graduate School will provide the Registrar’s Teaching Evaluation “Instructor Report” that tabulates quantitative data only.

    The online nomination dossier may be set up by a U-M faculty or staff member. Others may be given login access to the site as needed. The nomination system may be accessed as often as needed in order to complete the nomination dossier. All materials must be uploaded in Adobe PDF format.

    Cover Sheet

    Complete the online cover sheet with all information requested for both the nominee and the nominator—not the administrator who may have initiated the dossier.

    Nominating Letter

    As selection committee members represent a range of disciplines and may not be familiar with the nominee’s field, describe the nominee’s skills and dedication as a mentor in a way that conveys their significance to those not acquainted with the field. Given the number of engaged faculty, the letter should explain why the nominee’s particular contributions to mentoring are exceptional and deserving of this honor. Letters should discuss, for example, the nominee’s mentoring style, how the nominee mentors students in diverse career paths, and how the nominee mentors students in their professional development. The letter may incorporate quotations from former and current students, peers and faculty with whom the nominee has co-taught.

    The letter may be no longer than 2,000 words. A new letter may be submitted for re-nominations to replace the earlier letter, or an addendum may be submitted to update the dossier.

    Letters should show how the nominee:

    • Models an outstanding record of excellence in scholarly or creative work, professional activities, teaching skills, and academic and professional integrity
    • Ensures that students master key content and skills of their field
    • Attracts students to Michigan and to his or her field of study
    • Promotes successful completion of students’ graduate work and degree programs
    • Creates a supportive environment for students to pursue careers that make use of their graduate education
    • Provides students with the confidence, encouragement, and resources to take advantage of academic and professional opportunities at the University
    • Collaborates with other faculty in building stimulating intellectual cultures in which students thrive
    • Engages students in the major challenges and issues in the discipline or profession
    • Inspires commitment to integrity and life-long excellence in the discipline or profession
    • Contributes generally to graduate education at the University of Michigan

    Curriculum Vitae

    Provide the nominee’s current c.v.

    Service as Advisor Form

    The online nomination system includes a “Master’s Service as Advisor” form. Complete this form with information for the past four years, including names and departments/programs of students the nominee has advised and, for each student, the year of degree conferral, role served by the nominee, and placement information.

  • Recipients

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    2025

    • Tung-Hui Hu, Associate Professor of English Language and Literature
    • Jan Stegemann, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Professor of Macromolecular Science and Engineering

    2024

    • Y. David Chung, Professor of Art and Design
    • Trachette Jackson, University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor, Professor of Mathematics, and Associate Vice President for Research, DEI Initiatives

    2023

    • Alison Davis Rabosky, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
    • Raj Rao Nadakuditi, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

    2022

    • Emily Jutkiewicz, Associate Professor of Pharmacology
    • Vineet Kamat, John L. Tishman Family Professor of Construction Management and Sustainability, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

    2021

    • Peter Adriaens, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
    • Aaron Van Jordan, Robert Hayden Collegiate Professor of English Language and Literature and Professor in the Residential College

    2020

    • Mohammad Alhawary, Professor of Middle East Studies
    • Priti Shah, Professor of Psychology

    2019

    • John Marshall, Associate Professor of Art and Design
    • Albert Shih, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Professor of Integrative Systems and Design, and Professor of Biomedical Engineering

    2018

    • Diann Brei, Professor of Mechanical Engineering
    • Stephen Fisher, Professor of Pharmacology

    2017

    • Nilton O. Rennó, Professor of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering
    • Elizabeth M. Rust, Lecturer in Molecular and Integrative Physiology

    2016

    • Peter Ho Davies, Professor of English Language and Literature
    • Monica Marvin, Clinical Assistant Professor of Human Genetics

    2015

    • Gregory Keoleian, Peter M. Wege Endowed Professor of Sustainable Systems and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

    2014

    • Michael Byers, Associate Professor of English Language and Literature
    • Julia Wondolleck, Associate Professor of Natural Resources

    2013

    • Mark Hunter, Henry A. Gleason Collegiate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

    2012

    • Volker Sick, Professor of Mechanical Engineering

    2011

    • Avery Demond, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
    • Susan Waltz, Professor of Public Policy

    2010

    • Eileen Pollack, Professor of English Language and Literature
    • Steven Yaffee, Professor of Natural Resources and the Environment

    2009

    • Bradley R. Smith, Professor of Art and Design and Research Professor of Radiology

    2008

    • Catherine Reischl, Clinical Associate Professor of Education

    2007

    • Beverly Yashar, Clinical Professor of Human Genetics

Contact Us

Hours: The Dean’s Office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The office is closed Saturdays and Sundays and on university holidays.

  • Location
    1120 Rackham Building
    915 E. Washington St.
    Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1070

  • Contact
    Phone: 734.615.0255
    Fax: 734.615.3832
    Email: [email protected]