Outstanding Undergraduate Advisor: This award recognizes the efforts of faculty and professional advisors mentoring and guiding undergraduate students to degree completion, as well as faculty incorporating research and/or teaching responsibilities along with serving as academic advisor to undergraduate students.

Outstanding Graduate Mentor: This award recognizes the efforts of faculty who have guided students to degree completion; faculty who have provided research and/or teaching opportunities along with successfully mentoring students on their thesis, dissertation and/or project.

Recipients of the outstanding advising/mentoring award must demonstrate unusually effective ongoing mentoring relationships with advisees during their programs of study. Successful candidates will demonstrate a breadth of relevant knowledge including institutional regulations, policies and procedures, as well as information sources, referral procedures and career/life building skills. Awardees must be recognized for excellence by their advisees, peers and administrators at the undergraduate or graduate level, depending on the particular advising award.

Nominations & Submissions

Annual Deadline: March 1

Submit nominations in a single PDF attachment via email to Lena Johnson at JohnsonLM@missouri.edu. Name the file as: Year_Advising_LastFirstName (e.g., 2022_Advising_TigerTruman). In the email subject line indicate or Undergraduate Advisor Nomination or Graduate Mentor Nomination.

• Individuals who previously received the award or its equivalent are not eligible.
• Unsuccessful nominations may be updated and resubmitted in successive years.
• Use 12 pt. font, 1” margins, and single space within paragraphs.

Nomination packets must include:

1. Nomination/Cover Letter that describes how the nominee is involved in the advising of students, examples of specific characteristics that qualify this person for the award, and contributions that the nominee has made to individual student growth and development (limited to one page).
2. Supporting letters (limited to three) from students and/or colleagues (each letter is limited to one page). At least one letter must be from a current or former student.
3. Nominee’s evidence of excellence and impact on student success, including number of advisees or research mentees (limited to one page).
4. For the undergraduate advisor ONLY: A table summarizing numerical advisor evaluations in comparison to department and college averages.
5. For the graduate mentor ONLY: A listing of graduates advised with their thesis, dissertation and/or project titles.

Please contact CAFNR’s Office of Academic Programs at 573-882-8301 with any questions.