The School of Graduate Studies Awards for Outstanding Graduate Mentorship recognizes senior and early career faculty who have had a significant impact on graduate student achievement. 

Award Criteria

This award honours extraordinary mentors who inspire and challenge their students toward excellent and creative scholarship; support their students’ development of critical skills and professional competencies; and encourage their students to disseminate their research to audiences within and beyond the academy.

Eligibility – Senior Mentor Award

Eligible nominees must be active members of a Trent University graduate program and have a record of at least nine or more years of experience as a graduate student mentor.  This award can only be received once; previous recipients are ineligible for nomination.

Eligibility – New Mentor Award

Eligible nominees must be active members of a Trent University graduate program and have a record of no more than eight years of experience as a graduate student mentor. This award can only be received once; previous recipients are ineligible for nomination.

How to Nominate:

Nominations will be accepted for a two-week window at the conclusion of each academic term:

Nomination Widow 1: November 18, 2025-December 2, 2025

Nomination Window 2: Late February - Mid March

To nominate an instructor, complete the online form below (online form will be live from 8AM on the first day of each nomination window to 4PM on the final day): 

» Online Nomination Form for Outstanding Mentorship Award (Senior Mentors) 

» Online Nomination Form for Outstanding New Mentor

What should your nomination include?

Complete the "Nominator Information" and the "Candidate Information" sections on the Nomination Form.

In the section on “Candidate Qualifications,” explain how your nominee has had a significant impact on graduate student achievement. The strongest nominations will present specific details of how the nominee has inspired and challenged their students toward excellent and creative scholarship; how they have supported their students’ development of critical skills and professional competencies; and how they have encouraged their students to disseminate their research to audiences within and beyond the academy.

Please see “How to Write a Strong Teaching Award Nomination” for guidance on writing your nomination as well as annotated examples of high-quality nomination letters.

How is the Award Determined?

Nominations are collected over the course of the academic year during two nomination windows (December and April). They are then collated by Trent Teaching Commons staff who remove nominators’ identifying information except for whether they are faculty, staff, students, or alumni.  All nominations are then considered by the Graduate Studies Committee, which determines the award recipient in the spring of each year. A public announcement of all Decanal Award recipients is made by Trent Communications in September of each year. Recipients receive $500 and a framed certificate of achievement.

Timeline

August-March: Nominations are cumulatively collected during Fall and Winter terms.

Mid March: Nomination Window closes.

Late March: Trent Teaching Commons prepares nomination packages.

Early April: Collated nominations packages are circulated to committee members for review and scoring.  

Mid-April: Deadline for all Committee members to submit scores to Trent Teaching Commons.

Late April: Trent Teaching Commons sends finalized shortlist to committee.  

Late April: Meeting to deliberate and decide award. 

May/June: Award recipient is notified.

September: All nominees are notified.

September: All Decanal Award recipients are publicly announced. 

Previous Winners

2024-2025

Award for Outstanding Graduate Mentorship for Senior Mentors: Dr. Marguerite Xenopoulos

Award for Outstanding Graduate Mentorship for New Mentors: Dr. Abeer Omar

2023-2024

Award for Outstanding Graduate Mentorship for Senior Mentors: Dr. Neil Emery

2022-2023

Award for Outstanding Graduate Mentorship for Senior Mentors: Dr. David M.K. Sheinin

Award for Outstanding Graduate Mentorship for New Mentors: Kateryna Keefer

2021-2022

Award for Outstanding Graduate Mentorship for Senior Mentors: Dr. Jonathan Bordo

Award for Outstanding Graduate Mentorship for New Mentors: Dr. Wesley Burr