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Resolution 9: GPSA Faculty Teaching, Advising and Mentorship Award Committee

WHEREAS, The Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GPSA) recognizes the impact of faculty teaching, support, and mentorship on graduate and professional students’ academic, personal, and professional development; and

WHEREAS, Cornell University has many professors who exemplify excellence in the teaching, advising, and mentoring of graduate and professional students; and

WHEREAS, With the passage of Resolution 7 in November 2011, the GPSA formed an ad hoc Committee on the Teaching, Advising, and Mentoring of Graduate and Professional Students which administered the first Awards for Excellence in the Teaching, Advising, and Mentorship of Graduate and Professional Students in May 2012; and

WHEREAS, The first annual Awards were a resounding success and a proud accomplishment of the 2011—2012 GPSA; and

WHEREAS, We wish to continue to celebrate and thank professors who have demonstrated excellence in the teaching, advising, and mentoring of graduate and professional students; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the GPSA confirms the annual tradition of recognizing faculty excellence by establishing the Faculty Teaching, Advising, and Mentorship Award Committee (abbr. Award Committee) as standing committee of the GPSA, thereby guaranteeing the continued administration of the Award for years to come.

RESOLVED, That the Bylaws are amended to insert following language after Section 3.9 (and renumbering existing Sections 3.10 through 3.14, as necessary)—

Section 3.10 Faculty Teaching, Advising, and Mentorship Award Committee

a. Purpose

i. The primary purpose of the Faculty Teaching, Advising, and Mentorship Award Committee (“Award Committee”) is to solicit nominations for and administer one or more annual Awards to recognize faculty who exhibit excellence in the teaching, advising, and mentorship of graduate and professional students.

b. Chairperson

i. The Award Committee shall have a chairperson, elected by the GPSA, as described in Article 6.02 of the GPSA Charter.

c. Membership

i. Any graduate or professional student is eligible to apply to become a member of the Committee. Applicants will be reviewed and staffed by the Operations and Staffing Committee as specified in Section 3.03(f).
ii. Termination of a committee member is at the discretion of the Chairperson when a committee member is absent for more than half of the scheduled committee meetings.

d. Duties

i. Articulate and disseminate selection criteria for the Award(s).
ii. Establish a process for soliciting nominations and/or applications for the annual Award(s).
iii. Select Award recipient(s) before the end of April.
iv. Seek funding for and host an Award Ceremony to celebrate and recognize the Award recipient(s) each academic year before the end of spring semester.
v. Coordinate with the GPSA Communications Committee to publicize both the solicitation of nominations and the administration of the Award, once selections have been made.
vi. The Chairperson shall submit a budget request outlining and justifying all planned expenditures internal to the Award Committee to the Appropriations Chair by two weeks prior to the second regularly scheduled GPSA meeting.
vii. The Chairperson shall be responsible for the operations of the Award Committee: the Chairperson shall oversee the Award Committee’s actions and operating budget, as well as schedule and run the meetings of the Committee.

e. Meetings

i. The Award Committee will meet at least once per year during the current GPSA term to select Award recipient(s). The Chair will schedule additional meetings as necessary.
ii. When a consensus cannot be reached, actions shall be determined by a majority vote of all committee members present.
iii. Minutes shall be taken at meetings and, upon review by the Award Committee Chairperson, shall be submitted to the Office of Assemblies for posting. Respect will be paid to the privacy of nominators and nominated faculty members.

RESOLVED, That this resolution be sent to Peggy Beach, Director of the Office of Assemblies; Kent Hubbell, Dean of Students; Susan H. Murphy, Vice President for Student and Academic Services; Barbara Knuth, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School; Jan Allen, Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs; Sarah Hale Wicker, Associate Dean for Student Services; Sheri Notaro, Associate Dean for Inclusion and Professional Development; Tilman Baumstark, Assistant Dean for Professional Development; Janna Lamey, Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Life; Stewart J. Schwab, the Allan R. Tessler Dean, Cornell Law School; Michael Kotlikoff, Austin O. Hooey Dean of Veterinary Medicine; Soumitra Dutta, Anne and Elmer Lindseth Dean of the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, and Theresa Pettit, Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence.

Respectfully submitted,

Nicole M. Baran
GPSA Social Sciences Voting Member, Executive Vice President

Evan Cortens
Counsel to the GPSA

Parag Mahanti
GPSA Field Representative, Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology

Darrick Nighthawk Evensen
Graduate Student-Elected Trustee

Rebecca Robbins
GPSA Field Representative, Department of Communications