GSG Excellence Awards

Any current graduate student or advisor may nominate a graduate student for the Graduate Student Awards for Exemplary Service. The award prize is $300. Included in the nomination should be a narrative explaining the outstanding contributions that the graduate student has made to improve graduate student quality of life and education within his/her department and within the University. 

The statement should also clearly identify how the nominated graduate student’s actions reflect the nine UC Operational Principals:

• Learning
• Discovery
• Community
• Economy
• Sustainability
• Global engagement
• Health care
• Collaboration

Any current graduate student or advisor may nominate a graduate student for this award. The award prize is $400.

This award is bestowed upon those students that exhibit in their respective fields of study the highest degree of scholarship, defined as: “Through experiential education and research, we will build rigorous learning experiences that will integrate theory and practice, produce a sense of contextual complexity and community engagement, and create learning that is exceptionally self-directed, integrative and transformational."

Included in the nomination should be a narrative explaining the outstanding contributions that the graduate student has made toward the above principles. There are three awards in this category for students in different disciplines:

• STEM
• Humanities, Social Sciences, and Human Services
• Fine and Performing Arts

If you are not certain under which category your field falls, please contact the GSG Vice President.

Any current graduate student or advisor may nominate a graduate student for this award.

This award is bestowed upon the student that best exhibits the principles of leadership, citizenship, and collaboration, and included in the nomination should be a narrative explaining the outstanding contributions that the graduate student has made toward the following principles:

• Leadership is motivating others to take actions that would not otherwise have been taken and is measured by the extent to which an individual can influence and energize the ideas, actions, and capabilities of others toward the betterment of their department and the UC campus community. 
• Citizenship: The ability to apply knowledge and skills towards responsible civic life and action within their departments, the UC campus, or Greater Cincinnati as a whole. UC’s emphasis for this award is on public engagement and ethical purpose.
• Partnership: Working collaboratively to address complex issues and problems, both within and beyond the boundaries of UC. A university cannot solve problems by working in isolation. Rather, it must interact with others. By working in partnership, we gain an understanding and appreciation of what can be accomplished as a team that could not have been accomplished alone. We also affirm the importance of collaboration, since constructive change often occurs when individuals and groups with different identities and various priorities come together.

This award recognizes the recipient’s efforts toward inclusion, defined as the active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with groups that might otherwise be excluded or marginalized.  Any current graduate student or advisor may nominate a graduate student for this award.

Successful applicants show evidence of the following principles of inclusion:

• Innovation: Challenging existing practices and paradigms and discovering the unknown.
• Engagement: Intentionally engaging all people and the contribution of diverse ideas.
• Impact: Positively transforming our community and society in measurable ways.

Included in the nomination should be a narrative explaining the outstanding contributions that the graduate student has made toward promoting the above principles of inclusion within their field of study, their departments or the campus community.

The Outstanding International Graduate Student Award has been developed by UC International and the Graduate Student Government to recognize and honor international graduate students who show promise of exceptional academic and leadership abilities.  The award is sponsored by UC International and carries a cash prize of $400.

This award uniquely symbolizes the synthesis of the spirit of global competence along with the UC's core values of Global Engagement, which is defined as follows:

• Scholarship: Scholarship is the creation and application of knowledge through careful inquiry, research, experimentation, investigation, and creative work. It reflects a commitment to exploring ideas, answering questions, and contributing new understanding to a field.
• Global Citizenship: Global citizenship means using your knowledge and skills to participate responsibly in your community. At UC, this focuses on engaging with the public, understanding diverse perspectives, and acting with a strong sense of ethics and purpose.
• Stewardship: The university has a distinct role in society to preserve and promote intellectual inquiry. UC community members serve as stewards of knowledge, helping students recognize and value the responsibilities that accompany their education.
• Leadership: Leadership is motivating others to take actions that would not otherwise have been taken and is measured by the extent to which an individual can influence and energize the ideas, actions, and capabilities of others toward the betterment of their department, the UC campus and the  community as a whole.
• Collaboration: A university cannot solve problems by working in isolation. It must do so by interacting with others. By working in partnerships, we gain an understanding and appreciation of what can be accomplished together that could not have been accomplished alone. We also affirm the importance of collaboration, since constructive change often occurs when individuals and groups with different identities and various priorities come together.
• Global Competence: Cultural competency promotes tolerance, understanding and respect for a variety of cultures, domestic and international, and facilitates opportunity for interaction, communication and engagement.

Included in the nomination should be a narrative explaining the outstanding contributions that the graduate student has made toward the above principles. To be eligible for this award, the applicant must be a currently enrolled graduate student on a non-immigrant student visa, and in good standing at the University of Cincinnati. Graduate students finished with all required course work who are writing a thesis or dissertation are also eligible. Special consideration is given to applicants who will graduate during this commencement. 

Any current graduate student or advisor may nominate a GSG-registered graduate group for GSA of the Year. The winning GSA will have $400 added to their Group Budget. Included in the nomination should be a narrative explaining the outstanding contributions that the group has made to the quality of graduate student life within its department/college and the larger UC community.

The statement should also clearly identify how the nominated GSA’s actions reflect any/all of the eight UC Operational Principles:

• Learning 
• Discovery 
• Community 
• Economy 
• Sustainability 
• Global engagement 
• Health care 
• Collaboration

The same group cannot win this award for two consecutive years.

GSG Voting Representative award is designed to recognize GSA Leaders who help in the decision-making process in the General Assemblies by virtue of their participation. The narrative for this award should emphasize on that impact of your decision making considerations along with your attendance in the General Assemblies and special voting sessions.

This Award is designed to recognize our GSA Leaders who help in our execution process in various GSG Committees by the virtue of their participation.

GSG Committee Representative of the Year award is created to recognize our GSA Leaders who help in our execution process in various GSG Committees by the virtue of their participation.

• Exceptional Representation
  Demonstrates strong advocacy for the committee goals and consistently contributes to the GSG committee related duties.
• Active Participation
  Attends General assembly meetings regularly, contributes thoughtfully to events, and fulfills committee responsibilities in a timely and reliable manner.
• Impactful Contributions
  Plays a key role in developing, improving, or implementing initiatives, policies, or programs that benefit the GSG.
• Collaboration & Professionalism
  Works effectively with GS executives, GSG members, and fellow students while maintaining a high level of professionalism, respect, and integrity.
• Communication & Outreach
  Keeps graduate students informed about committee activities, decisions, and opportunities, and solicits feedback to guide their representation.