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Distinguished Dissertation Awards of 2007 Nomination Instructions and Coversheet

September, 2007

Purpose of the Award

To recognize exceptional and unusually interesting work produced by doctoral students in the last phase of their graduate work. The nominees' overall academic accomplishments will also be taken into account.

Eligibility

The nominee must have completed the dissertation and have been awarded or will be awarded the doctoral degree during the 2007 calendar year: May 2007, August 2007, and December 2007. Students whose degree will not be conferred until May 2008 are not eligible, even if they gave their final defense during fall 2007. Students enrolled in dual degree programs who have completed the dissertation but who have not yet met all the degree requirements for the second degree are also eligible. Nominations from a broad range of academic disciplines are desired.

Nomination Process

Any member of the faculty may submit a nomination which must be endorsed by the department or program. Each department should make only one nomination; two may be accepted if the department can argue persuasively that the dissertations are distinctly different in intellectual content. Note: Award winners will be selected by a broad group of faculty, including non-specialists. Therefore, nominators should explain the contributions of the work clearly. Each nomination should include the following items:

  1. A completed nomination coversheet.
  2. A copy of the dissertation abstract.
  3. A copy of the student's CV or resume; including a list of publications and presentations.
  4. A copy of the student's University of Michigan academic record (unofficial or official).
  5. A nomination statement, as described below. On the statement, please note the nominee's name, department or program, and the title of the dissertation. The statement should be presented in distinct sections that speak to each of the following topics, in the order of the headings listed below:
    • Description: A brief description of the topic.
    • General comments: General comments about the nominee, including his or her overall scholarly credentials.
    • Innovation: The degree of innovation, creativity, and insight shown by the author.
    • Scope: The scope and importance of the work to the department and to the field.
    • Writing: The effectiveness of the writing (including whether it is written in language that is reasonably understandable to faculty in related disciplines), and
    • One or two letters of recommendation from someone other than the nominator(s) who prepared the nomination statement. Please submit the original nomination package and one complete copy.

Review Process

Members of the Michigan Society of Fellows, in collaboration with the Rackham Associate Deans and additional faculty reviewers, make the final selections. Up to eight nominees will be selected to receive the award, which includes a $1,000 honorarium. The reviewers also have the option of assigning Honorable Mention.

Awards Presentation

The awards will be presented at a public ceremony from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 24, 2008, in the Assembly Hall, 4th Floor at the Rackham Graduate School. Award winners are strongly encouraged to participate in the awards ceremony. Faculty, friends and family of the award winners, and all interested persons are invited to attend both the ceremony and the reception immediately following. The names of all nominees, including any whose dissertations have been given Honorable Mention, will be printed in the ceremony program.

Deadline: Friday, November 16, 2007

Nomination coversheets and nominations should be submitted to:
Homer Rose, Assistant Dean for Academic Programs,
Suite 1166 Rackham, Box 1070
For instructions about hand delivery, contact Colleen Root at 764-8221 or Questions may be addressed to Homer Rose at 647-4559