In November 2011, the GPSA unanimously passed a resolution calling for the creation of awards that acknowledge and express gratitude for the many excellent faculty mentors at Cornell University. The first university-wide awards for teaching at the graduate and professional student level at Cornell University were given away by the Ad-Hoc Awards Committee at a ceremony in May 2012 and we were pleased that efforts that had previously gone unacknowledged would now be recognized.

To continue this tradition, the GPSA passed a resolution in Fall 2012 that created a permanent Awards Committee. Each March the committee is amazed by number and quality of nominations. These nomination letters highlight the positive impact graduate advisors have on their students' academic and professional development. In many cases, these faculty members serve as inspiring role models, a champion of graduate and professional student interests, and go above and beyond in their commitment to furthering their students’ personal and professional success.

With so many nominations of faculty members who exemplify excellence in the mentoring of graduate and professional students, the Awards Committee faces an extremely challenging, yet exciting, decision. Each year, we try to select a collection of professors who embody a combination of advising, mentorship, and teaching ability in helping graduate students to succeed in their communities.