Each academic year, two graduate teaching assistants will be recognized by the University for their outstanding performance as a classroom or laboratory instructor. Recipients of the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards will receive a $1,000 financial award to be used to support their educational expenses.

Nomination and Selection Process:

After the fall semester's student evaluation forms have been received and collated, each department using graduate teaching assistants can nominate GTAs for the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards. The departments forward their nominations to the dean, within 30 days of distribution of the fall semester student evaluation data. The nomination package shall include: (1) a letter of nomination from the GTA's department chair or mentor; (2) two sets of written teaching evaluations; (3) compilations of all of the GTA's student evaluations; and (4) any other supporting material deemed appropriate by the nominator. Annually, the college will form a GTA judging committee, to be made up of GTA evaluators who have been nominated by their departments and selected by the dean. Departments that do not use graduate teaching assistants can nominate master teachers to serve on the college committee. That committee will meet within two weeks of the dean's appointment to select nominees for both awards and elect a college representative to serve on the actual university selection committee.

A university selection committee, made up of graduate program directors from each college, will meet early enough during the spring semester so that the outstanding graduate teaching assistants can be recognized at the Faculty Awards Dinner. After the initial year of the award program, graduate teaching assistants will be eligible for selection based on teaching during the spring, summer, and fall sessions (in that order). Outstanding teaching assistant recognition by the college and University Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant recognition may be added to the graduate student's official transcript, if possible, and they should receive an appropriate certificate to commemorate their achievement. In the event that a graduate teaching assistant has completed his or her degree before selection, an alternate recognition award will be made.

The College of Sciences recognizes the outstanding classroom instructor and laboratory instructor as follows. Specific information on the nomination package is given in Appendix I.

The College Committee will choose one GTA nominee from each category to receive a College of Sciences Award consisting of (1) a personalized plaque, (2) a one-year subscription to Science, (3) a certificate from the ODU Bookstore for a reference book (max = $125.00) and (4) $250.00 cash. The recipients will be recognized at the College ceremony during May Commencement.

It is the responsibility of the GPD to:

• Send nominations for outstanding GTAs to the associate dean's office by the announced date, approximately February 6.

Contact Persons:
Graduate Dean/Associate Vice President for Research
Associate Dean, College of Sciences