Undergraduate students are encouraged to nominate faculty members for the Haas and Stiner Early Career Award for Undergraduate Mentorship.  

This prestigious award is given to honor an early career faculty member at GVSU who demonstrates their understanding of their disciplines through writing, research, and active engagement of undergraduate students. Nominated faculty exhibit the highest level of research excellence, mentorship of students, ethics, and commitment to the educational mission of Grand Valley State University.  

Any full-time faculty member who is in their early career at GVSU is eligible for nomination. Faculty nominees must be submitted by a current or past student of theirs before November 22, 2024. 

Students who wish to nominate their mentor may do so by submitting an essay focusing on why their mentor deserves to be recognized for the Haas-Stiner Undergraduate Mentorship award. Nominations can be submitted individually or as a group. However, there must be only a single person of contact for each nomination. Essays should be no more than 500 words. The following questions are examples of topics that may help guide students in their writing:  

• What specific qualities make this mentor a strong candidate for the Haas-Stiner Undergraduate Mentoring Award? How has your mentor impacted your undergraduate education at GVSU? 

• How has your mentor assisted you in overcoming obstacles in your research/scholarship and your journey as a researcher? 

• How has your mentor helped you grow as a student? 

The awarded faculty member will receive a professional plaque and funding to support their professional development and/or in support of their student researchers. This formal award is intended to be presented at the Faculty Convocation ceremony in February. 

Nomination Form

To be eligible, a faculty mentor must first be nominated by one or more students. Once nominated, the Undergraduate Research Council will confirm eligibility before contacting the faculty member and informing them of the nomination.

Faculty nominees who accept their nomination will submit the following materials for URC review:

1. Statement of mentoring philosophy (500 – 1000 words): This statement should provide specific examples of mentorship of GVSU students.  This should describe how their mentorship is holistic, how they incorporate ethics, and what level of research their mentored students perform.
2. A list of mentored students:  Include student names, current position, project (including whether it was funded as an MS3/S3/Kindschi/URA/Alayont/etc.), and how the project was disseminated.
3. One example of a joint student-faculty dissemination product (ex: a co-authored paper, co-authored poster, co-authored presentation, or appropriate disciplinary equivalent).