Academics

Graduate School fall awards deadline is Nov. 1

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The bulk of the Graduate School’s faculty and student award program nominations are due Nov. 1. Applications/nomination forms must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards Administration by the Nov. 1 deadline to receive full consideration.

The following are brief outlines of the awards that share the upcoming deadline, along with links to more information. The deadline for the Academic Computing Fellowship and AT&T Graduate Fellowship awards is March 1.

Faculty Awards

The Graduate Faculty Teaching Award is meant to recognize faculty members for outstanding teaching performance. The program is open to all University faculty members who have been tenured members of the graduate faculty for a minimum of seven years, who have demonstrated excellence in the supervision of graduate students with their theses work, and who have not yet received the University's highest accolade for teaching and scholarship.

The Graduate School Alumni Society Graduate Program Chair Leadership Award is meant to recognize faculty members for exemplary leadership benefiting graduate students and faculty in an existing graduate degree program at Penn State. Such leadership includes: enhancement of student recruitment; professional development and placement; mentoring and promotion of faculty and students in the program; enhancement of program diversity, educational quality, resources and national visibility; promotion of professional ethics and its integration into all elements of graduate programming (academic, research, professional conduct, etc.); and other efforts that enhance the stature of the graduate program both internally and externally.

The Howard B. Palmer Faculty Mentoring Award was established in 1991 in honor of Howard Palmer, who served as senior associate dean of the Graduate School from 1985-91. The award is presented to a full-time faculty member who demonstrates "effective mentoring through guiding and nurturing the collegial and professional development of junior faculty."

The Rustum and Della Roy Innovation in Materials Research Award honors interdisciplinary materials research at Penn State that yields valuable, unexpected results and recognizes genuine innovation. The award was created by a generous gift from Professors Rustum and Della Roy, both graduate alumni of Penn State. Competition for the faculty award is open to postdoctoral researchers or junior faculty members conducting interdisciplinary materials research at Penn State.

Student Awards

The Alumni Association Dissertation Award provides funding and recognition to outstanding full-time doctoral students who have passed their comprehensive exams and have received approval of the dissertation topic or to master of fine arts degree students in their final year. This award is considered to be among the most prestigious available to Penn State graduate students and recognizes outstanding achievement in scholarship and professional accomplishment.

The Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award recognizes graduate assistants for outstanding teaching performance. This award is jointly sponsored by the Graduate School, through the Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award endowment, and the Office of the Vice President and Dean for Undergraduate Education. The program is open to graduate students who have served as graduate assistants for at least two semesters within the last two years (fall 2012 to fall 2014). Degree candidates carrying the title of instructor are not eligible for the award.

The Harold K. Schilling Dean’s Graduate Scholarship recognizes outstanding graduate students whose course of study is relevant to science, religion and ethics. This annual scholarship was created in memory of Harold K. Schilling, a professor and former dean of the Graduate School. Competition for this scholarship is open to graduate students who have achieved superior academic records or manifest promise of outstanding academic success and whose course of study is relevant to science, religion and ethics. Consideration also may be extended to graduate students whose studies involve critical societal benefits such as improvement of health, environment and energy.

The Intercollege Graduate Student Outreach Achievement Award began in spring 2004 with the generous donation from alumni Steven E. and Alice R. Linberg and a matching commitment from University Outreach. The purpose of this award is to recognize outstanding achievements of degree candidates in any of the Intercollege Graduate Degree Programs that relate to bringing their scholarship to the community in order to benefit society in some manner. This award endeavors to encourage future scholars and researchers to embrace outreach and promote a commitment to advancing the welfare and quality of life for the public through scholarly pursuits.

The Rustum and Della Roy Innovation in Materials Research Award honors interdisciplinary materials research at Penn State which yields valuable, unexpected results and recognizes genuine innovation not previously achieved. The award was created by a generous gift from professors Rustum and Della Roy, both graduate alumni of Penn State. Competition for the award is open to full-time graduate students and postdoctoral researchers or junior faculty members conducting interdisciplinary materials research at Penn State.

The purpose of the Thomas and June Beaver Fund is to provide recognition and financial assistance to outstanding graduate students who are performing industrially-sponsored research. Consideration for grants and awards from this fund shall be given to all full-time graduate students who are performing industrially-sponsored research in connection with the Ben Franklin Partnership Fund Program and who have achieved superior academic records.

Last Updated October 3, 2014