Spring Awards

This award recognizes impactful contributions made by a graduate student(s) toward enhancing the vision of the Graduate School to ensure an environment where early-career scientists thrive while building the foundation for impactful contributions to society. 

Awards can be presented either to individual graduate students in a doctoral or master’s degree program or groups/organizations where graduate students are the primary movers. The award will consist of a commemorative physical award and $500. If given to a group, the $500 will be split among the nominated members.  

Criteria: 

• Significance - How has the nominee(s) demonstrated superior leadership and commitment to the enhancement, development, and sustainability of a campus environment where early-career scientists thrive while building the foundation for impactful contributions to society? 
• Innovation – How have the nominee’s contribution(s) uniquely addressed key issues above throughout the campus or through community engagement? How is this contribution different from other existing activities? 
• Impact - What have been the measurable outcomes?  How has the project/program/activity “moved the needle” on the Anschutz Medical Campus, or both? 

Nominations should include a full description of the nominee(s) activities and how those activities address the criteria listed above.  

Nominations can be made by an individual or group of individuals and will be reviewed by an impartial panel. Self-nominations are allowed. If nominations come from a group, the names of all nominators should be provided.    

Thank you for nominating your deserving colleagues and for your diligent efforts to ensure that the CU Anschutz campus is a welcoming, equitable, and inclusive place to further knowledge and pursue graduate education and scholarly research activities. Awardee(s) will be announced by May 1st.  

The Graduate School is honoring a master's student who has exhibited excellence throughout their program and graduated or is graduating during this past Summer or Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 semesters. The selected student will receive a monetary prize of $500, in addition to a physical award. 

Criteria: 

• Nominations should focus on the student's performance in coursework and experiential learning (i.e. thesis research, capstone project, or internship).  
• The committee will also consider the student’s accomplishments such as presentations, publications, contribution to campus culture, and community outreach. 
• Fall 2025 and tentative Spring 2026 graduates are eligible. We will confirm that Spring nominees have successfully earned all necessary credits and are on track to meet Spring graduation deadlines before confirming the winner. 
• Nominations can be submitted by faculty mentors, members of a student's committee, or program directors. 

Multiple nominators are encouraged to either co-sign the primary letter or submit additional nomination letters and merge into one pdf document. The recipient will be honored at the May Graduate School convocation ceremony. 

Thank you in advance for your help in making this award possible. Eligible programs are: 

• Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology (MS) 
• Biostatistics (MS) 
• Epidemiology (MS) 
• Modern Human Anatomy (MS) 
• Pharmaceutical Sciences (MS) 
• Clinical Science (MSCS) 
• Genetic Counseling (MS) Palliative Care (MS) 
  

The Graduate School honors the student who produced the most compelling dissertation and graduated during the Summer or Fall 2025 semesters or is graduating this Spring 2026.

The selected student will receive a monetary prize of $500, in addition to a physical award. 

Criteria: 

• Nominations should focus on the elements of the dissertation/defense that were truly outstanding in terms of scholarship and impact/potential impact.  
• The committee will consider student’s accomplishments such as grant funding, presentations at scientific meetings, publications, and community outreach. 
• Summer, Fall 2025 and tentative Spring 2026 graduates are eligible.  We will confirm that Spring nominees have successfully defended and are on track to meet Spring graduation deadlines before confirming the winner. 
• Nominations can be submitted by the primary faculty mentor and/or members of a student's committee. 

Multiple nominators are encouraged to either co-sign the primary letter or submit additional nomination letters and merge into one pdf document. If the dissertation has not yet been submitted to ProQuest, please include a copy of the dissertation as well. 

A committee comprised of previous faculty recipients of the Dean's Mentoring Awards will review the nominations and select a winner. The recipient will be honored at the May Graduate School Convocation ceremony. 

The purpose of the Chancellor's Teaching Recognition Award is to recognize and reward outstanding teaching. Criteria to be used in selecting recipients for the award are as follows:

• Demonstrated commitment to providing students with a high quality learning experience.
• Maintenance of high scholarly standards for both the rigor of course content and student
  performance.
• Possession of personal attributes which make the faculty member an effective role
  model.

The Chancellor's Teaching Recognition awardee will be recognized at the May commencement exercises and during the Graduate School Convocation. The recipient will receive a glass award and a one-time cash
award of $1,000.

Nominations should be initiated by students graduating in Spring 2026.

Nominations can be made by an individual or group of individuals and will be reviewed by an impartial panel. If nominations come from a group, the names of all nominators should be provided.

Nominations should be submitted by current doctoral students.

Criteria:

• Maintenance of high standards of scholarship (their own and that of students).
• Demonstrated commitment to providing students with high-quality training experience
• Possession of personal attributes that make the faculty member an effective role model for other mentors.
• Mentor and the nominating student(s) must have worked together for at least one semester and with a significant amount of interaction time.
• The mentor must hold a Regular Graduate Faculty Appointment at the University. Mentors from outside the university are not eligible.

Nominations can only be initiated by students. Please provide thoughtful nominations as good mentoring is critical in your career and mentors that go above and beyond are deserving of institutional recognition.

A strong nomination will come from the mentor's primary mentee(s) with additional support from other students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty colleagues. You may prepare a single nomination letter and have multiple nominators sign it or each person may prepare their own letter. If possible, have one person collect multiple letters and send them together as one PDF. 

Recipients will be selected based on the strength and detail of your nomination letters describing the merits of the faculty nominee. A professionally prepared nomination will speak to the criteria listed above and include date and signature(s). Each awardee will receive a monetary award and plaques that will be presented to the recipient at the Graduate School Convocation in May. 

Nominations can be made by an individual or group of individuals and will be reviewed by an impartial panel. If nominations come from a group, the names of all nominators should be provided.

Nominations should be submitted by current master's students. 

Criteria: 

• Maintenance of high standards of scholarship (their own and that of students). 
• Demonstrated commitment to providing students with high-quality training experience. 
• Possession of personal attributes that make the faculty member an effective role model for other mentors. 
• The mentor and the nominating student(s) must have worked together for at least one semester and with a significant amount of interaction time. 
• Mentor must hold a regular Graduate Faculty Appointment at the University. Mentors from outside the university are not eligible. 

Nominations can only be initiated by students. Please provide thoughtful nominations as good mentoring is critical in your career and mentors that go above and beyond are deserving of institutional recognition. 

A strong nomination will come from the mentor's primary mentee(s) with additional support from other students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty colleagues. You may prepare a single nomination letter and have multiple nominators sign it or each person may prepare their own letter. If possible, have one person collect multiple letters and send them together as one PDF.  

Recipients will be selected based on the strength and detail of your nomination letters describing the merits of the faculty nominee. A professionally prepared nomination will speak to the criteria listed above and include date and signature(s). Each awardee will receive a monetary award and plaques that will be presented to the recipient at the Graduate School Convocation in May.  

Nominations can be made by an individual or group of individuals and will be reviewed by an impartial panel. Self-nominations are allowed. If nominations come from a group, the names of all nominators should be provided.