Midwestern Association of Graduate School (MAGS) Awards

The Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) is a regional affiliate of the Council of Graduate Schools. MAGS member colleges and universities are accredited institutions of higher education in the central U.S. that offer graduate programs leading to master’s, specialist and doctoral degrees.

MAGS presents annual awards to young scholars in recognition of their work and recognizes institutions for innovative programmatic efforts that benefit their graduate communities. MAGS offers awards in three categories, including the MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master’s Thesis Awards, the MAGS Excellence in Teaching Award, and the MAGS Award for Excellence and Innovation in Graduate Education.

MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master’s Thesis Awards

These awards recognize and reward distinguished scholarship and research at the master’s level in numerous broad areas, including the biological and life sciences, the social sciences, humanities, mathematics, the physical sciences, and engineering. Different fields of competition are determined each year.  

Each award recipient will receive a $750 honorarium and up to $500 for travel expenses to attend the MAGS annual meeting. Each member institution may submit one nomination for the award in each field of competition.

For more information about this award, including eligibility, nomination and submission details, please visit the MAGS Distinguished Master’s Thesis Awards page.  The Graduate School will seek one nomination from each of the college assistant/associate deans for graduate education during the Fall semester.

MAGS Excellence in Teaching Award

Purdue University is eligible to nominate one masters-level and one graduate-level student for this award that includes a citation and a $750 honorarium that will be presented at the MAGS annual meeting April 3-5, 2024.  Students must submit materials to the Graduate School by Friday December 1, 2023; 5:00 p.m. for consideration.

Award Details

• The 2024 Excellence in Teaching Awards will be bestowed on “…graduate students who exemplify excellence in the teaching and learning mission of our universities…. [to] recognize the importance of excellence in teaching and mentoring as a component of graduate education and the preparation of graduate students for future service as college and university faculty.” 
• Details of the Award, as well as a list of previous recipients, are available here: https://mags-net.org/excellence-in-teaching-award/
• The Dean of the Graduate School/College (or designee) at each MAGS-affiliated university may select and submit the materials of one doctoral and one masters-level graduate student for these awards.
• MAGS’s evaluation criteria are shared here: https://mags-net.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2024_MAGS_Exc_Teach_Award_Eval_Criteria.pdf

Submission Details

Graduate students wishing to be considered for this award must submit a single PDF document that includes:

• a letter of nomination from the student’s department head
• the nominee’s teaching portfolio
  • up to six (6) pages, double spaced, 1-inch margins, with a 12-point font
  • an embedded link to a video (maximum of 10 minutes) showing the nominee teaching in an educational setting of a collegiate level course
    • for instructions on saving and submitting a suitable video, please see: https://mags-net.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2024_MAGS_Exc_Teach_Award_You_Tube_Instr.pdf
  • all individuals who are identifiable in the video and over the age of 18 should complete a consent and release form, and the portfolio description of the video should indicate that these have been collected.  The Use of Photographic and Vido/Film Consent and Release Form can be completed (and will be stored) online via Qualtrics here: 
    • https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8AZILsZOZwtg96u
• the student’s current curriculum vitae
• Since Purdue must review and select nominees’ materials to be sent along to MAGS, materials should be submitted by Friday December 1, 2023; 5:00 p.m. to
  • MAGS_Ex.oewymn7ybxjoxsm0@u.box.com

Timeline toward nomination

• Purdue deadline for submissions: Friday, December 1, 2023
• Review of campus nominees: December 4-11, 2023
• Notification of campus nominees: December 15, 2023
• Completion of nomination packets (including endorsement from the Associate Provost for Graduate Programs) and submission to MAGS: January 5, 2024

Questions?

Please contact me at the Graduate School (rollock@purdue.edu; 496-2775).

MAGS Award for Excellence and Innovation in Graduate Education

The purpose of this award is to encourage, recognize, and reward excellence and innovation in domestic and international graduate education at both the graduate school and program level. Applications may relate to any facet of the graduate education process, including outreach, recruitment, retention and degree attainment.

Any current member institution or graduate program within a member institution is eligible for this award, which comes with a $2,500 prize and a certificate presented at the MAGS annual meeting. Only one application will be accepted from a given graduate school.

For more information about this award, including eligibility, nomination, and submission details, please visit the MAGS Award for Excellence and Innovation in Graduate Education page.  Applications are typically due early during the Fall semester.