PSU's Graduate Mentoring Excellence Award honors Portland State faculty members who provide outstanding mentorship to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars engaged in research at PSU. The person selected for this honor will receive an award and a $1,500 taxable honorarium.
Eligibility Criteria
This award is intended for individuals with at least 10 years of documented accomplishments in graduate research mentoring at PSU.
Recipients of this award will have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to creating an environment that supports graduate student success and fosters mentorship opportunities.
Selection Criteria
Extraordinary Commitment and Effectiveness as a Mentor
Nominees should demonstrate exceptional dedication to their graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, effectively engaging and supporting them in research, including through activities such as serving on thesis/ dissertation committees, as a Graduate Council member or publication co-author, etc.
Demonstrated Record of Mentee Success
The success of the nominee will be reflected in the success of their graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in their academic and professional careers (e.g. garnering prestigious scholarships, fellowships, grants, or awards, securing notable career placements, and achieving professional goals).
Intellectual Leadership
Strong nominees will exhibit a record of excellence in research and/or creative work, teaching, and presentation and publication in the discipline while involving mentees so as to ensure they master their discipline's content and skills.
Professional Responsibility and Integrity
The nominee should clearly model exemplary professionalism in every aspect of their work, as a teacher, researcher, and author. Those selected to receive this award clearly articulate these expectations and hold their graduate students and postdoctoral scholars to their own high standards while supporting them in the successful and timely completion of their students’ degrees and projects.
Mentorship Excellence and Advocacy
Nominations should illustrate how the nominee provides exceptional mentorship, showing sensitivity and respect while proactively supporting their mentees' personal and professional goals and effectively advocating for their success. This often involves sharing knowledge about discipline norms and integrating graduate students and postdoctoral scholars into the broader culture of the discipline, as well as connecting mentees to intellectual and professional networks.
Administrative Effectiveness and Leadership
The nominee works to facilitate smooth transitions for mentees entering and exiting their programs, fostering mentorship communities and leading efforts to enhance the quality and accessibility of graduate programs, particularly for underrepresented students.
Length and Impact of Service to PSU
This award is intended for individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary service to PSU, significantly enhancing the quality of mentorship at PSU and contributing to the institution’s reputation.
Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
Each nominator should address the strength of their nominee's commitment to advancing DEI, as evidenced, for example, by their role in initiatives that expand mentorship opportunities or otherwise have a positive impact on DEI, at PSU or beyond, and their fostering of inclusive mentorship practices.
Who May Submit Nominations
Nominations should be submitted by faculty, chairs, and/or deans via the 2026 Research Awards Nomination Form. Only one nomination may be submitted by a department for this award category.
Required Nomination Materials
Complete nomination packets will include the following materials (pdf format preferred):
Nominator’s Letter (3 pages maximum)
The primary nominator’s letter should articulate how the nominee meets the selection criteria described in this announcement. Nominators may recognize the many forms that mentorship can take. RGS encourages nominations of women, faculty of color, and members of other groups historically underrepresented in their disciplines.
Abbreviated Current Professional Curriculum Vitae (5 pages maximum)
The CV should include a list of past graduate students/postdoctoral scholars with their placement/position upon leaving Portland State University.
Additional Letters of Support
Please provide letters of support from the nominee's former students. Three to five letters are recommended (no more than five, please). Letters of support from former students should describe their experiences and illustrate how the guidance they received from the nominee helped shape their graduate careers.
Selection Process and Deadlines
Nominations should be initiated via the 2026 Research Awards Nomination Form by October 27, 2025 and must be completed by November 17, 2025.
Deans will approve completed nominations before they are submitted for review by an interdisciplinary selection committee.
The award selection committee, composed of past award recipients, associate deans, and other faculty, will evaluate all nominations approved by the deans according to the criteria described above.
No more than one awardee will ordinarily be named each year, and the review committee may forgo naming an awardee in any given year.
The nominee selected for this honor will be notified in January 2026, along with those who contributed to their nomination. The nomination packets of nominees not selected the previous year will automatically be included for consideration the following year, with letters of support from those outside of PSU and other nomination materials carried forward by the RGS Awards Manager. Current CVs and/or updated primary letters of nomination may be submitted to update these nomination packets. Nominees not selected in two consecutive years must remain out of review for one selection cycle (one year) before regaining eligibility.
Recognition
The individual selected for this honor will receive an award and public recognition at PSU’s Research Awards Ceremony and Reception. The winner will also receive a $1,500 taxable honorarium and an invitation to participate in the selection process to choose next year’s recipient of the Graduate Research Mentoring Award.
For answers to questions about this award or the nomination process, please contact RGS Awards Manager Amy Crelly: acrelly@pdx.edu, 503-725-9944 or research@pdx.edu.