Each year, the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (FGSPA) celebrates the accomplishments of graduate students, faculty and staff and the generosity of donors who invest in excellence at Brock.
Marilyn Rose Graduate Leadership Award
Nomination deadline: Friday, Feb. 28 at 4 p.m.
To recognize faculty, staff and students for their work and leadership in developing and/or enhancing graduate studies and the graduate student experience for students at Brock University.
The Marilyn Rose Graduate Leadership Award recognizes individuals for their vision and leadership on behalf of graduate studies at Brock in areas such as academic programming, research and scholarship, student services, and student experience initiatives – the kind of work through which a strong and vital graduate culture has emerged in support of graduate students and support of the University’s academic and research goals.
Value: $500 and a certificate of recognition (one award available)
Any faculty, staff and graduate student (full-time or part-time) involved in any of Brock’s graduate student academic and non-academic programming may be nominated for this award.
Selection:
The Dean of the FGSPA will assemble a committee to review nominations and select the award recipient.
This award will be announced and presented at the Mapping the New Knowledges (MNK) Graduate Student Conference.
Be sure to include the following as part of the nomination package:
- Nominee/Nominator Agreement Release – click here for the form
- Nominator’s support letter (max. 500 words)
- Two additional letters of support (max. 500 words each) from members of the Brock community (faculty, staff and students) who can speak to the nominee’s leadership and contribution to graduate education/culture.
Once all package documents have been prepared, please submit one PDF document including all materials, via email to:
[email protected]
Attn: FGSPA Awards
Michael Plyley Graduate Mentorship Awards
Nomination deadline: Friday, Feb. 28 at 4 p.m.
Established in 2011, the awards honour and recognize the essential role of faculty supervisors in the mentorship of graduate students. In 2017, FGSPA renamed the awards in honour of past Dean, Dr. Michael Plyley, to recognize his leadership and contributions to graduate education at Brock. Awards are presented in two categories:
- Mentorship of master’s students only
- Mentorship of both master’s and PhD students
Nominations are to come from graduate students. It is an opportunity for students to pay tribute to an individual graduate faculty member who has provided them with outstanding support and encouragement in their development as a researcher.
Value: $1,000 to assist faculty with ongoing graduate student mentorship (two awards available)
Award nominees must be members of the core faculty. Previous award winners are not eligible for re-nomination for seven years following the year they received the award.
Selection:
The Senate Graduate Studies Sub-Committee on Scholarships and Awards will adjudicate along with two graduate students drawn from different faculties, selected by the Graduate Students’ Association.
These awards will be announced and presented at the Mapping the New Knowledges (MNK) Graduate Student Conference.
The following guidelines will assist in preparing and submitting your nomination.
- Nomination Form – click here for the form
Please complete the nomination form – it requires signatures from the nominee and nominator. Include it as page one of the nomination package. - Graduate Student Nominator’s Personal Letter of Support
In this letter (max. 500 words), the nominator highlights the nominee’s strengths as a graduate mentor with examples of the kind of personal support and encouragement they have received from the nominee. - Additional Testimonials from current or former Brock graduate students
The nominator may collect as many as four additional support statements from current or former Brock graduate students to include in the package. The support statements should be no more than one page in length and should highlight how the graduate mentor has made a difference in the graduate student’s experience and/or in their professional/career pursuits. Please be sure that any writers of the testimonials include their contact information. - Graduate Mentorship profile
The profile will provide an overview of the mentor’s career for the adjudication committee with key facts about all nominees. Nominators should be able to collect information for the profile from the supervisor’s CV.
To assist in organizing the profile section, the following information is recommended:
- Formal education
- Academic appointments
- List of graduate course(s) taught, including dates
- List of current Brock University Graduate Students, including dates
- List of former graduate students at Brock or other institutions, including dates
- Scholarly work co-authored with graduate students (refereed papers, refereed papers given at conferences, refereed papers presented at conferences, refereed abstracts, works in progress)
- Administrative and other contributions to graduate students and graduate studies
The nomination package is not to exceed 20 pages. Any packages that exceed the page limit will have the additional pages removed before adjudication.
Once all package documents have been prepared, please submit one PDF document, including all materials, via email to:
[email protected]
Attn: FGSPA Awards
Suzanne Curtin – Christopher Yendt Graduate Collaboration Award
Nomination deadline: Friday, Feb. 28 at 4 p.m.
Established in 2023, the Suzanne Curtin – Christopher Yendt Graduate Collaboration Award was created to recognize graduate students who have been outstanding in one or more of the following areas:
- Demonstrated initiative and dedication by fostering collaboration and related efforts to bring together diverse elements of the campus graduate community.
- Championed opportunities for cooperation within the campus graduate community and beyond.
- Provided leadership, in combination with different partners, resulting in significant contribution(s) to graduate student life at Brock.
Value: $1,000 and a certificate of recognition (one award available)
Students must meet all the following criteria to be considered for this award:
1. Registered graduate student
2. Full or Part-time status
3. Minimum 80% cumulative average
4. Only activities/involvement/efforts undertaken while enrolled at Brock shall be considered
A selection committee will review applications and make recommendations to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.
This award will be announced and presented at the Mapping the New Knowledges (MNK) Graduate Student Conference.
Candidates must submit the following to be considered for the award:
- Self-submitted statement outlining why you should be considered for the award (maximum 1 page, single-spaced).
- Two letters of reference, with at least one from a community partner – internal or external to the university (maximum 1 page, single-spaced each).
Once all package documents have been prepared, please submit one PDF document, including all materials, via email to:
[email protected]
Attn: FGSPA Awards
Jack M. Miller Excellence in Research Award
Nomination deadline: January 31 at 4 p.m.
Awarded to a research-based master’s and doctoral student from each faulty (excl. Goodman) who demonstrate outstanding research excellence. Nominations to come from supervisors.
2025 Value: $1,476.82
Any full-time graduate student involved in research from one of Brock’s teaching faculties (excludes course-based programs) – Applied Health Sciences (excludes MPH, MPK, MAG, BNMN), Goodman School of Business – Management students (excludes MAcc, MBA ISP, MBA, MPAcc), Education (excludes MEd course-based), Humanities, Mathematics and Science (excludes MSMP), and Social Sciences (excludes MADS, Applied Linguistics course-based).
Nominations from supervisors are due to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs through email ([email protected]) by 4 p.m. on January 31.
If a student feels they are a strong candidate for this award, contact their supervisor to discuss the nomination process. No application is required by the student.
These awards will be announced and presented at the Mapping the New Knowledges (MNK) Graduate Student Conference.
Women in STEM Graduate Leadership Award(s)
Application deadline: January 31 at 4 p.m.
The Office of the Vice-President, Research (VPR) at Brock University will provide $10,000 annually to support full-time Brock graduate students who have demonstrated exceptional advocacy, leadership and actionable accomplishments to advance women and under-represented groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Value: up to $10,000
To be eligible for the award, students must:
- Be a full-time, registered master’s or PhD student at Brock University
- Must be in good academic standing
- Have demonstrated commitment to advocacy for women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
- Have shown exceptional leadership, including concrete, practical action to advance women and other under-represented groups in STEM
Applicants complete the online application form below and submit by January 31 by 4 p.m.
Applications will be reviewed by a committee, which will determine how many awards will be given, depending on the number and quality of applications.
Award decisions aim to be announced on International Women’s Day (March 8).
Questions or concerns can be emailed to:
[email protected]