School of Graduate Studies

East Tennessee State University

Graduate Student Awards

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Here you can find awards that are available to our graduate students. You can view previous awardees on our history page.

  • Award for Service Projects

     

    Objective

    1. The relationship between graduate education and the public good is currently receiving increased attention and promotion by several national organizations including the Council of Graduate Schools.
    2. This award is designed to encourage and recognize graduate student service projects at ETSU that enhance the public good, broadly defined as service to the community or university.

    Award Details

    • One award is given out each year.
    • The award consists of a plaque and a monetary honorarium of $250.00.

    Eligibility

    1. Service must have "promoted the public good" not for personal or financial gain.
    2. Common examples include defense, law enforcement, environmental goods, health promotion, counseling, support services, public education, global needs, humanitarian aid, public history projects, and information management.
    3. Service should be directly related to the graduate student's educational experience at ETSU.
    4. No paid services may be considered.
    5. Service effort must have occurred during the student's graduate tenure at ETSU.
    6. Students may receive this award only once.

    Nominations

    1. The student is nominated by an ETSU faculty member, and all nomination materials are submitted using the online nomination form.
    2. Although individual departments may wish to develop their own nomination procedures, all nominations for the award must be routed through and approved by the Department Chair.

    Application Packet

    1. A letter of nomination from the Graduate Coordinator that includes a description of the service project, and it must be cosigned by the Department Chair.
    2. All nominees are required to submit a service portfolio that includes the following information:
    3. A service philosophy statement written by the student.
    4. A letter from the nominee describing the service including the time and/or level of commitment required to complete nomination project(s).
    5. Note: The letter may include any additional service activities (ex. ETSU sponsored projects) that are not directly related to the nominee's program of study.
    6. Two letters of endorsement that address the significance of the impact of service(s) performed.
    7. One from the supervisor of the services performed.
    8. One from anyone in the community who has had an opportunity to observe the performance of the service.

    Application Deadline

    1. The application deadline is March 1st each year.
    2. Decisions should be reached by the first week of April.
    3. A committee of one Graduate School dean, two Graduate Council members, and two regular full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty members with graduate status will evaluate the applications.
    4. Grant recipients will be notified through a letter from the School of Graduate Studies. Notification will occur by the beginning of April. Copies of the letter will be sent to their advisory committee chair and their departmental chair. An award ceremony will be held later in April to recognize award recipients.

  • Outstanding Thesis, Dissertation, and Capstone Awards

    Objectives

    1. To recognize outstanding graduate students for their achievements
    2. To increase the profile of graduate education at ETSU
    3. To help promote excellence in graduate research

    Award Details

    Up to five awards will be given out each year, one for each of the following:

    1. Outstanding Capstone
    2. Outstanding Dissertation
    3. Outstanding Thesis in Art and Humanities
    4. Outstanding Thesis in Science, Math, Technology, and Computer Science
    5. Outstanding Thesis in Social Science and Education

    Individual plaques as well as a monetary award of $250.00 (as funds allow) for each award recipient will be presented at an annual awards ceremony in April sponsored by the School of Graduate Studies. One large plaque for each type of award will be on display in the School of Graduate Studies lobby.

    Eligibility Requirements

    1. Students must be nominated in writing by an ETSU graduate faculty member.
    2. Thesis or dissertations must be approved by the students advisory committee, have been successfully defended, and received final approval from the Graduate School.
    3. Capstone/culminating project write-ups (non-thesis) must have received final approval from the applicant's adviser or department, and a copy must be submitted with the nomination.
    4. Nominees must be in good academic standing (have a minimum GPA of 3.0) with expected graduation in the current academic year or have graduated within the previous 12 months.
    5. Students nominated in a previous year are not eligible for re-nomination.

    Nomination Procedures

    Applications will be submitted to the School of Graduate Studies.

    1. The student is nominated by an ETSU faculty member, and all nomination materials are submitted using the appropriate online nomination form from above.
    2. Attach a copy of the student's curriculum vitae (3 pages max).
      (Note: Theses and dissertations have a CV included, although this is usually very brief. The CV supplied with the nomination can be up to 3 pages in length.)
    3. Nominations are due by March 1st each year.

    Evaluation of Nominees

    1. Nominations will be reviewed by committee (1 per award category or sub-category). Each committee will be made up of ETSU graduate faculty members with expertise in the general categories, and they will be chaired by a member of the ETSU graduate council.
    2. The dean or assistant dean of the School of Graduate Studies who is responsible for the approval of ETD's will also attend each meeting. Each committee has the right to decline choosing an award recipient for any given year depending upon the quality of the nomination pool.
    3. Grant recipients will be notified through a letter from the School of Graduate Studies. Notification will occur by the beginning of April. Copies of the letter will be sent to their advisory committee chair and the

  • Research Grant

     

    Objectives

    1. To increase sources of financial support for ETSU graduate student research.
    2. To increase the profile of graduate education at ETSU.
    3. To help promote excellence in graduate education.

    Proposal

    Accept applications from graduate students for research grants to support graduate student thesis or dissertation research projects. The minimum amount for the award is $500.00 while the maximum amount is $800.00. Up to 8 grants will be awarded each year depending upon the availability of funds.

    Eligibility Requirements

    1. Graduate students conducting thesis of dissertation research as part of their graduate program are eligible to apply.
    2. The student must have completed at least one semester of graduate enrollment, be in good standing (have a minimum graduate GPA of 3.0) at the time the award is made (April 1st), and have chosen a graduate committee chair and/or their program advisory committee. Grants should be available in July.
    3. Doctoral students may receive the award twice during their program of study at ETSU; Master's students may only receive the award once.
    4. Preference for larger awards will be given to students working on projects and/or with mentors with no other source of funding.

    Application Procedures

    Applications are to be submitted to the School of Graduate Studies using the online application form. Instructions are also available on this form.

    1. Applications are due March 1st
    2. The application will consist of the completed online application form and a proposal. The proposal is to be included with the application as a single PDF document. It is to consist of a maximum of three (3) single-spaced pages of narrative and one (1) budget page. The three page limit for the narrative includes all figures but not references. References should be included on an additional page. Margins must be a minimum of one inch (1"), and the font must be 12 pt. or larger. Proposals not meeting these requirements will not be considered for funding. The narrative should briefly describe your thesis/dissertation project in non-technical language. Include in this description: background information on the topic, a statement of the problem, specific goals, a summary of preliminary results or work (if available), and a timetable for completion of the thesis/dissertation project. References should be included on a separate page, be in a standard format for your discipline, and provide the names of all authors and the full title.
    3. The budget must be on one (1) page, provide a list of specific expenditures and a justification for each. Also include a budget rationale (describe why this research grant is necessary and how it will be used to further your thesis/dissertation project). Give the actual cost for each item, that is, do not "round up" or estimate prices. Awards will be for a minimum of $500.00 and a maximum of $800.00. Requests outside of this range will not be considered. It the budget total exceeds $800.00, a specific requested amount must be given, and the justification must include a description of the source of the additional funds.
    4. The student’s thesis/dissertation committee chair must complete the online committee chair’s agreement form for the application to be considered for funding. This form will be sent directly to the chair after the student submits the application.

       

      If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Scott Kirkby by  or at the following address: 

      School of Graduate Studies
      Attention: Dr. Scott Kirkby
      ETSU Box 70720
      Johnson City, TN 37614

    Evaluation of Applications

    1. Applications will be reviewed in early March by a committee chaired by a member of the ETSU Graduate Council and composed of ETSU graduate faculty members. The committee chair and Assistant Dean Kirkby will consult and invite faculty to serve on this committee each year.
    2. Grant recipients (up to 8, depending on the availability of funds) will be chosen by April.

    Award Presentation & Posting

    1. Grant recipients will be notified via email from the School of Graduate Studies. Notification will also be send to the research advisor. An award ceremony will be held later in April to recognize award recipients.
    2. Press releases will be sent to the ETSU student newspaper and community newspapers.

    Grant Expenditure Process

    1. Grant accounts will be set up under the major professor's name for supplies and materials. Supplies will be paid for via e-Bucs.
    2. Grant recipients must include acknowledgment of support from the ETSU School of Graduate Studies Research Grant program in their thesis/dissertation and in any publications resulting from their thesis/dissertation research.

  • Excellence in Teaching Awards

     

    Objectives

    To encourage and recognize excellence in teaching by graduate teaching assistants and graduate teaching associates.

    Award Details

    1. Two awards may be given out each year: one at the teaching assistant level and another at the teaching associate level.
    2. The awards consist of a plaque and a monetary honorarium of $250.00 a piece.

    Eligibility

    1. Students must be currently enrolled graduate teaching assistants or teaching associates or have taught once during the past three semesters to be eligible.
    2. Moreover, graduate teaching associates must have been listed as the instructor of record.
    3. Students may only receive each award once during their academic tenure at ETSU.

    Nominations

    1. The student is nominated by an ETSU faculty member, and all nomination materials are submitted using the online nomination form.
    2. Although individual departments may wish to develop their own nomination procedures, all nominations for the award must be routed through and approved by the departmental chair.
    3. Each department may nominate only one teaching assistant and one teaching associate.

    Application Packet

    1. A letter of nomination from the Graduate Coordinator that includes a description of teaching responsibilities is required, and it must be cosigned by the Department Chair.
    2. Table Listing all classes taught at ETSU including dates
    3. All nominees are required to submit a teaching portfolio that includes the following information:
    4. A teaching statement written by the student.
    5. Evaluative feedback (i.e., SAI summaries, faculty and student evaluations, etc.)
    6. Up to 5 additional letters of support (ex. undergraduate students, fellow graduate students, faculty supervisors, staff members, etc.)
    7. Graduate Teaching Associates who are instructors of record are also required to submit the following instructional materials:
      1. Syllabus
      2. Sample Exams
      3. D2L site access
    8. Graduate Teaching Assistants may also include samples of exams and/or quizzes that hey have written, if that is part of the job requirement.
    9. The application packet must be sent to Dr. Scott Kirkby, Assistant Dean School of Graduate Studies by email at or to the following address: 

      School of Graduate Studies
      Attention: Dr. Scott Kirkby, Assistant Dean
      PO Box 70720 
      Johnson City, TN 37614

    Application Deadline

    1. The application deadline is March 1st each year
    2. Decisions should be reached by the first week of April
    3. A committee of one Graduate dean, two Graduate Council members, and two regular, full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty members with graduate status will evaluate the applications
    4. Grant recipients will be notified through a letter from the School of Graduate Studies. Notification will occur by the beginning of April. Copies of the letter will be sent to their advisory committee chair and their departmental chair. An award ceremony will be held later in April to recognize award recipients.

 

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