| Nominations are open | December 2, 2024 |
| Nominations are due | January 29, 2025 |
| Application is due (by student applicant) | March 5, 2025 |
| Application review, round 1 | March 5-31, 2025 |
| Finalists' application review round 2 | April 1-27, 2025 |
| Winners are announced | The week of April 28, 2025 |
| The Awards | Spring graduation ceremony |
The Office of Graduate Affairs at Radford University is committed to providing students and faculty with exceptional resources and opportunities in academics, research, and scholarship and to promoting innovation, professional development, applied learning, and the betterment of society.
The Office of Graduate Affairs at Radford University empowers students and faculty to prosper both intellectually and professionally, as well as envision, advance, pursue, and accomplish professional learning goals and innovative and ethical scholarly engagement.
A. Nomination Criteria
1. A nominee must be a degree seeking graduate student at Radford University and possess a record of superior accomplishment that reflects strongly the mission and vision of the Office of Graduate Affairs. A nominee’s accomplishments will be judged in relation to the nature/type of their nominating category. Recipients will be selected from across all academic colleges at Radford University. One award in the amount of $750 will be presented for each of the four categories listed below.
2. A nominee must possess a record of superior accomplishment in the three areas described below that correspond with their award category. The award categories are:
| Award Category | Three Areas of Superior Accomplishment |
| Outstanding Graduate Student |
|
| Outstanding Doctoral Graduate Student |
|
| Outstanding Graduate Assistant |
|
| Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant |
|
| Outstanding Graduate Teaching Fellow |
|
A nominee will be judged in each of these areas as detailed above.
Graduate Academic Record (Graduate Students & Graduate Assistants ONLY):
A record of superior accomplishment in their ACADEMIC RECORD. This is exhibited by
their work and progress within their program of study. Students must exhibit superior
accomplishments through their graduate transcripts (unofficial transcripts are allowed).
Graduate Research:
A record of superior accomplishment in GRADUATE RESEARCH should contain clear and
compelling evidence related to: (i) scholarly works (objective, subjective and/or
artistic); and (ii) scholarly activities (e.g., presentations, publications).
Teaching(Graduate Teaching Assistant and Graduate Teaching Fellow ONLY):
A record of superior accomplishment in TEACHING should contain clear and compelling
evidence related to: (i) instruction; and (ii) student development and learning (the
promotion of success for students of all backgrounds).
Professional Development (PD):
A record of superior accomplishment in PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT containing evidence
of participation in PD offered through the Office of Graduate Affairs that goes beyond
of the required coursework. Students should be able to demonstrate the desire for
further knowledge, education, and growth. The applicants are required to participate
and to provide certificates of completion for at least 5 PD opportunities offered
through the Office of Graduate Affairs as described in the list of PDs.
3. A nominee’s record of superior accomplishment must demonstrate clear and compelling evidence of the nature, level and/or degree of a nominee’s: (i) involvement/participation; (ii) effectiveness/success; (iii) impact/achievement; and (iv) recognition/acknowledgement in the areas of research, teaching, professional development, and academic record. The nature, level, and/or degree of this evidence also must be reflective of Radford University’s mission and vision statements.
B. Application Submissions
1. Format of Application Package
a. Application submissions must be prepared using: (i) standard 8.5x11-in. page size; (ii) standard one-inch margins; (iii) at least single spacing; (iv) size 12 font; and (v) Arial font style.
b. Applications must be submitted by electronic copy, in PDF format at the gradaffairs@radford.edu by January 29, 2025. (See the Nomination Form [PDF])
c. Complete each of the six required sections of the application package (see 2. below). The application package must not exceed its prescribed maximum page limit and the PDF must be named using the following formula: LASTNAME_CATEGORY.PDF
d. Please note that the full application package for each of the 2024 recipients may be posted publicly on the Radford website. Please do not include personal information (including Social Security number, home address or personal telephone numbers) on any page.
2. Contents of Application Package (10-page maximum)
a. Nomination Form. The signature page provided herein must be completed and submitted as the cover page of the application package. It is not included in the total number of pages. Do not alter the Nomination Form by adding or removing any section(s).
b. Summary of Accomplishments (Two-page maximum). The major highlights of the nominee's record of accomplishment must be identified and briefly described in a summary. This must directly address the nomination criteria and corresponding areas of accomplishments. The amount of space/attention given to each area to the corresponding accomplishments (graduate academic record, graduate research, professional development, and teaching) should be reflective of their academic responsibilities, employment at Radford University, and the Office of Graduate Affair’s mission and vision. The Summary may be prepared using bulleted sections; complete sentences are not required. Third-person perspective is suggested.
c. Personal Statement (Two-page maximum). The nominee must prepare a personal statement addressing: the distribution of their responsibilities across their specified areas of accomplishment, professional/educational philosophy, and any other information deemed relevant by the nominee. Restating accomplishments discussed in the Summary section should be avoided as much as possible. It is suggested that the personal statement be presented as a firstperson narrative in complete sentences.
d. Full Curriculum Vitae (Two-page maximum). A Curriculum Vitae outlines the nominee's education, teaching experience, scholarly works and activities, public and academic service, awards, and other significant contributions.
e. Two Letters of Support
f. Supplemental Materials. These are transcripts and certificates of completion. It is not included in the total number of pages.
C. Nomination Stipulations
1. Submissions will be rejected if they are: (a) incomplete; (b) in violation of the format or content guidelines; or (c) contain plagiarism of any kind. However, such a submission may be corrected and resubmitted by the nominating institution if it is possible to do so by the deadline.