Faculty Award for Mentoring Student Research and Creative Activity
Each year, the Office of Undergraduate Research honors the considerable dedication of UM faculty members and graduate students who consistently go above and beyond to serve as mentors to students involved in research or creative activities. For this, we give two awards: one recognizing Faculty mentorship of undergraduate students and one recognizing Graduate student mentorship of undergraduate students.
The winner of each award will receive a cash prize and a certificate of recognition. Awardees will be recognized during the Week of Excellence “Excellence in Research & Mentorship Awards” ceremony. The ceremony will take place on April 29th, 4-5:30pm at the UC Ballroom.
To be eligible for this award, nominees must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Nominee is a current faculty member or graduate student at the 猎奇重口 (all campuses included).
- Faculty Mentor Award (FMA): Nominee must have provided significant, sustained mentorship to undergraduate students in research and/or creative activities at UM for at least two years (this eligibility includes faculty members who will be completing their second year at UM this spring).
- Graduate Student Mentor Award (GSMA): Nominee must have successfully mentored undergraduate students at UM for at least one year.
Previous winners are not eligible for five years from the date of last award. A list of all our awardees can be found in the link below.
Nomination Process
Faculty members and Graduate Students may be nominated by (1) current student mentees, (2) faculty colleagues, (3) staff members, or (4) program coordinators, department chairs, associate deans, and/or college deans, via a short nomination statement. Individuals may submit up to two nominations and may not self-nominate.
Nominees will be notified and asked to provide additional information to the awards committee. This information will include the following:
- A list highlighting undergraduate research mentoring activitiesin the last 5 years for Faculty Mentors and in the last 2 years for Graduate Student Mentors, including projects, thesis, presentations, and/or publications that involved undergraduate Each item should list the students involved and any student awards or scholarships associated with the experience (if available).
- A list of mentees,including: student name, dates or timeframes of mentorship, project
- Names and contact information for two current or recent student mentees (active within the last 5 years).
The awards committee (guided by the Office of Undergraduate Research) will reach out to collect letters of support from two current or recent student mentees (active within the last 5 years).
Selection Process
Nomination materials will be reviewed by the Mentorship Awards Committee, consisting of a blend of staff and faculty members. Awardees will be asked to serve on the committee in the year following their recognition.
In general, the Mentorship Awards Committee will look for nominees that demonstrate:
- Consistent, sustained involvement in mentoring
- Documented results of mentorship (e.g., student research and creative activity experiences, student and colleague testimonials)
- Expanding/deepening student participation in research and/or creative activity
- Supporting student professional, academic, and personal experiences through building relationships, connections, and communities
- Guiding students through professional experiences and developing needed skills
Timeline for 2026:
- February 27-March 13: Express your intent to nominate a faculty member. These nominations can come from current student mentees, faculty colleagues, staff members, or program coordinators, department chairs, associate deans, and/or college dean. Fill up with your nominations! We then will reach out to nominees for the required information listed in the awards call and will contact student mentees for letters.
- March 27: All nomination materials must be received. Please email letters of support.
- April 10: The review committee will notify the two awardees, who will be honored during the Week of Excellence.