Three graduate student instructor (teaching assistant) recipients are recognized each year during the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Convocation ceremony in May. Winners receive a certificate signed by President Bollinger, a formal citation written by their department, and an honorarium of $8,000. Additionally, the winners may also be recognized in University-wide and departmental publications.
Selection Process
The selection process begins with an open nominations period when anyone in the Columbia community (anyone with an active Columbia UNI) can nominate an eligible graduate student instructor (teaching assistant). The nomination period is currently open.
The Selection Committee reviews all nominations, requests dossiers for a pool of finalists they wish to consider for the award, and ultimately selects 3 winners to recommend to President Bollinger.
The Selection Committee is comprised of 5-8 faculty and student members, including prior winners of the Presidential Awards for Outstanding Teaching. There is representation from both the Morningside and Medical Center campuses, as well as across disciplines.
Eligibility requirements
- While Columbia is fortunate to have a relationship with both Barnard and Teacher’s College that permits students to experience a wide range of teaching excellence, graduate student instructors (teaching assistants) at Barnard and Teacher’s College are not eligible for the Presidential Awards for Outstanding Teaching.
- To be eligible for this award, graduate student instructors (teaching assistants) must be appointed in an instructional* role, and currently enrolled in a degree program at the University. They do not, however, need to be teaching in the year in which they are nominated.
- This award is bestowed as once in a lifetime achievement. Past winners are not eligible to receive a second award.
*Instructional roles include: teaching assistants, preceptors, readers, graders, and teaching fellows. Students appointed in a casual, administrative, or other non-instructional role are not eligible to be nominated for or receive a teaching award, even if they engage in teaching-related activities.