Herbert F. Frolander Award for Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistants

Award nominations open September 24, 2025, deadline: April 13, 2026

The Office of Graduate Education invites nominations for the Herbert F. Frolander Award for Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistants. The intent of this award is to recognize outstanding teaching and professional involvement, with both faculty and students, by a domestic or international graduate teaching assistant at Oregon State University.

The award also aligns with and supports development in the OSU Grad Advantage core competencies for graduate students. Nominees should complete the OSU Grad Advantage Self-Assessment Tool at the time of their nomination to gauge their ongoing professional development needs and progress.

Award Details

The recipient will receive a plaque with their name engraved on it and a monetary award in the amount of $1,000 provided in Spring 2026. The plaque will be presented during University Day events held the following fall. This award may be made in addition to a graduate assistantship or fellowship.

Eligibility:

  • Nominee must be a graduate student in a degree-seeking program at Oregon State University.
  • Nominee must be enrolled in at least 3 graduate credits during the spring 2026 term.
  • Nominee must have held a teaching assistantship for at least three academic terms within the preceding two years.

Evaluation Criteria

Quality of the nomination materials in addressing:

  • The nominee’s previous academic success and commitment to graduate studies.
  • The nominee’s overall effectiveness and impact in teaching. Measures of effectiveness and impact may include, but are not limited to accessibility, dependability, innovation, leadership, and demonstrated commitment to creating an inclusive and equitable teaching environment supportive of student success and belonging.
  • The nominee’s CV or résumé.

Nomination Period

The nomination period begins on September 24, 2025. All nominations must be submitted by 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026. Awards will be determined by early May 2026.

Please note that this posted deadline refers to the date/time by which the Office of Graduate Education must receive the final and complete nomination packet and any accompanying materials. Academic units may have earlier deadlines to accommodate their internal selection and nomination processes, so students are encouraged to verify the timeline with faculty and/or their graduate program leadership.

Nomination Procedure

Nominations may be submitted by the nominee's graduate program director, department chair/head, appropriate college leadership, or appropriate leadership in an institutional partner unit. Students may not apply directly for this award. Each unit (as defined by university major code) and institutional partner (see NOTE below for further instructions) may nominate no more than ONE nominee (total) per award cycle.

In the online nomination form, nominators will be required to prepare/upload the following materials as one PDF document using the following file name convention: "Nominee's Last Name_Department_Frolander.pdf," and upload it through the nomination form.

  1. A letter of nomination from the nominee’s graduate program director or unit chair/head in which the nominee has been employed as a GTA. The letter should speak to the nominee’s previous academic success and commitment to graduate students and should address how the nominee has demonstrated teaching effectiveness during their GTA tenure.
  2. Up to two additional letters of support from other academic colleagues, peers, or students taught by the nominee that provide evidence of teaching effectiveness and impact. Signed and unsigned comments solicited and received as part of the teaching evaluation process are not admissible.
  3. A statement from the nominee that (a) describes their previous academic success and commitment to graduate studies, (b) provides evidence and examples of their teaching effectiveness and its impact on student success, and (c) explains the ways in which their experience as a graduate teaching assistant at OSU has influenced their graduate experience and overall professional development.
    • Previous academic success and commitment to graduate studies can be demonstrated in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, formal assessment metrics (e.g., GPA), the nominee’s commitment and persistence related to previous academic pursuits, their intellectual curiosity and creativity, and the strengths and skills they bring to their graduate studies and scholarly pursuits.
    • Nominees are encouraged to review the Office of Graduate Education’s OSU Grad Advantage core competencies and complete the OSU Grad Advantage Self-Assessment Tool to assist in developing their statement.
  4. A completed Summary of Courses Taught form (see linked document below), including at least three terms of teaching within the preceding two years.
  5. A copy of the nominee’s three most recent SLE or ESET reports. All confidential student narrative comments should be removed from the reports. A unit may nominate a student who does not have SLE or ESET scores, but should address why scores are not included and find ways to speak to the nominee’s teaching performance (e.g. student testimonials, direct faculty observations). All evaluation information will be used for award review purposes only.
  6. A copy of the nominee’s résumé or curriculum vitae.

NOTE to Institutional Partners:

If an institutional partner is submitting the nomination, they must also have confirmation from the student’s academic unit that:

  • the student is not already being nominated for the same award by the academic unit, and
  • the student is in good academic standing, making satisfactory progress, and that the nomination aligns with the student’s status in the program.

Nomination Form

Submit a nomination

Scholarships and Fellowships Application Form Overview

Questions

For questions about this award or any Office of Graduate Education administered awards, please contact our Graduate Scholarships and Fellowships team