Purpose

The Distinguished Mentor Award recognizes outstanding tenured or continuing status faculty at the full professor rank who have mentored early career faculty and made highly valued contributions to the mentoring of graduate students. Our purpose at the University of Arizona is to work together to expand human potential to explore new horizons and enrich life for all. Our mission is to create a world where human potential is realized and we’re all working together to create solutions to big problems, so that life in our communities, in Arizona and on our planet can thrive. Our university values that undergird our purpose are integrity, compassion, exploration, adaptation, inclusion, and determination.

Mentors are a vital part of the University of Arizona’s mission of educating and providing professional development for our students. This Award recognizes faculty whose careers illustrate a remarkable dedication to graduate students through transformative mentorship.  The intent of this award is to honor individuals whose dedication to nurturing future scholars in inclusive, equitable, innovative and holistically supportive ways has raised the standards of mentorship across the campus.This Award calls attention to those faculty who have raised the standards and expectations of mentorship across the campus and the reputation of the university as a whole, or who have otherwise brought excellence, innovation, and high ethical standards to the art of being a faculty mentor.

 

Eligibility

Eligible candidates will be tenured or continuing status faculty at the full professor rank.

Award

Recipients will receive a one-time allocation of $3,000 in University funds to facilitate further work within their discipline. One award will be given annually.

Criteria

Candidates will be judged both on the evidence that they have demonstrated significant contribution to the mentoring of faculty for promotion and also graduate students to become future scholars. Priority will be given to candidates who are positively contributing to diverse representation in their field/discipline and have taken the Level 1: MENTOR Institute Online Training found in EDGE Learning.

Nomination Process

Department Heads/Directors/Chairs may submit a nomination for eligible faculty. A nomination packet must be submitted with the following materials through the Arizona Cultivate site by Monday, December 9th, 2024, 5pm.

  • CV for the nominee
  • One-page letter of nomination from the Department Head
  • One recommendation letter (2-3 pages) from one or more University of Arizona colleagues within the nominee’s area of expertise.
  • One-page letter of support from the Dean.

Inclusive excellence is the engine that drives the value and practice of diversity and inclusiveness at the University of Arizona. At the center of Inclusive Excellence is the recognition and acceptance of the talents, worldviews, perceptions, cultures and skills that faculty communities bring to the educational enterprise. The University of Arizona recognizes the power of a diverse community and strongly encourages nominations of individuals with varied experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds. As a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), the University of Arizona also recognized the importance of contributions of the nominee to the HSI mission.