The Graduate School invites nominations for the Herbert F. Frolander Award for Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistants. The intent of this award is to recognize outstanding teaching and professional involvement, with both faculty and students, by a domestic or international graduate teaching assistant at Oregon State University.

The award also aligns with and supports development in the OSU Grad Advantage core competencies for graduate students. Nominees are encouraged to complete the OSU Grad Advantage Self-Assessment Tool at the time of their nomination, or in the case of prospective students after they have been formally admitted to gauge their ongoing professional development.

Award Details

The recipient will receive a plaque with their name engraved on it and a cash award in the amount of $1,000. The plaque will be presented during University Day events held in fall. This award may be offered in addition to a graduate assistantship or fellowship.

Eligibility:

  • Nominee must be a graduate student in a graduate degree-seeking program at Oregon State University
  • Nominee must be enrolled in at least 3 graduate credits during the spring 2024 term
  • Nominee must have held a teaching assistantship for at least three terms within the preceding two years

Evaluation Criteria

  • Quality of the nomination materials in addressing:
    • The nominee’s previous academic success
    • The nominee’s scholarly potential
    • The nominee’s commitment, persistence, and leadership
    • The nominee’s life experiences and background
    • The nominee’s overall effectiveness and impact in teaching. Measures of effectiveness and impact may include, but are not limited to accessibility, dependability, guidance, and demonstrated commitment to creating an inclusive and equitable teaching environment supportive of student success and belonging. 
    • The nominee’s CV or résumé 

Nomination Period

The nomination period begins on September 27, 2023. All nominations must be submitted by 5 p.m., May 13, 2024. Awards will be determined by early June 2024.

Nomination Procedure

Nominations may be submitted by the nominee's graduate program director, department chair/head, appropriate college leadership, or appropriate leadership in an institutional partner unit. Students may not apply directly for this award. Each unit (as defined by university major code) and institutional partner may nominate no more than ONE nominee (total) per award cycle.

In the online nomination form, nominators will be required to prepare/upload the following materials as one PDF document using the following file name convention:
"Nominee's Last Name_Department_Frolander.pdf", and upload it through the nomination form.

  1. A letter of nomination from the nominees’ graduate program director or unit chair/head in which the nominee has been employed as a GTA. The letter should address how the student demonstrated outstanding teaching and excellent professional interaction with faculty and students during their GTA tenure.
  2. Up to two additional letters of support. Signed and unsigned comments solicited and received as part of the teaching evaluation process are not admissible.
  3. A statement from the nominee that speaks to the following areas; nominees are encouraged to review the Graduate School’s OSU Grad Advantage core competencies and complete the OSU Grad Advantage Self-Assessment Tool to assist in responding to these prompts:
    1. Their academic merit and intellectual vitality
      • This can be demonstrated in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, their commitment and persistence related to previous academic pursuits, their intellectual curiosity and commitment, and the strengths and skills they bring to their graduate studies and graduate teaching assistantship appointments.
    2. A discussion of their skills, knowledge, and previous experiences and how those contribute/will contribute to fostering an inclusive and diverse university community.
    3. The impact of their experience as a graduate teaching assistant at OSU.
  4. A completed Summary of Courses Taught form, including at least three terms of teaching within the preceding two years.
  5. A copy of the nominee’s three most recent SLE or ESET reports. All confidential student narrative comments should be removed from the reports.
    1. A unit may nominate a student who does not have SLE or ESET scores, but should address why scores are not included and find ways to speak to the nominee’s teaching performance (e.g. student testimonials, direct faculty observations).
    2. All evaluation information will be used for award review purposes only.
  6. A copy of the nominee’s résumé or curriculum vitae.

NOTE to Institutional Partners:

If an institutional partner is submitting the nomination, they must also have confirmation from the student’s academic unit that:

  • the student is not already being nominated for the same award by the academic unit, and
  • the student is in good academic standing, making satisfactory progress, and that the nomination aligns with the student’s status in the program.

Nomination Form

Submit a nomination

Nomination form overview

Questions

For questions about this award or any Graduate School administered awards, please contact our Graduate Scholarships and Fellowships team