Outstanding Mentor Awards

The award recognizes senior faculty who have served as exemplary mentors. An outstanding mentor has demonstrated exceptional commitment to faculty mentoring of non-tenure track, pre-tenure and mid-career faculty. Full-time faculty mentors at the advanced Associate, or Professor rank are eligible to be nominated by their colleagues. Retired faculty are eligible for nomination. Normally, unit leaders and department chairs who are expected to mentor junior faculty, Deans, and administrators in the Office of the Dean or the Provost are not eligible for this award.

An excellent mentor keeps the mentee’s best interest foremost. The mentoring relationship must be built on a foundation of mutual trust and honesty. The mentor serves as an effective role model and resource for guidance towards successful research, teaching and service at the institution; assists in expanding the mentee’s professional network and creates avenues of recognition for the mentee and their body of scholarship; works to clarify a balance of the mentee’s roles as a part of the faculty, department, college, university and professional area. The mentor supports and encourages the maintenance of a healthy balance of work and home life.

Criteria

The following criteria are to be addressed in nominations:

1. A demonstrated commitment to support the intellectual, creative, scholarly, and professional growth of mentees, evident by their measurable success at university and at their professional societies and at the national/international arena
2. Evidence of sustained involvement to professional mentoring relationships that result in career growth or personal development of his/her mentees

Nominations

Nominations are to be submitted by the mentor’s department/academic unit chair, colleagues, or mentee(s). Nomination packets should include:

• Nomination letter
• 3 letters of support from mentees (past or present) or colleagues; a Dean’s letter of endorsement.

Nominations should be sent to faculty_affairs@stonybrook.edu as a single PDF file by May 1, 2024.

The selection committee will include the Associate Deans for Academic/Faculty Affairs from the schools and colleges across campus and will be chaired by the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Staff Development. Up to three awards will be given annually. They include a $2,000 honorarium and a personalized commemorative plaque or medal or pin/rosette.