Cecile Daniel Osment Graduate Teaching Award
Department of Geography
The Cecile Daniel Osment Graduate Teaching Award honors excellence in teaching among UNC-CH Geography graduate students. In keeping with the wishes of the donor, the award is designed to reward effectiveness, enthusiasm, and passion for teaching Geography and communicating geographical ideas. The award takes the form of stipend and tuition/health insurance coverage for one full semester.
Eligibility
Graduate students working towards a PhD who have worked as a teaching assistant, teaching fellow, and/or lab instructor for at least two semesters qualify for this award. Prospective awardees must have completed all of their requirements but the dissertation (‘ABD’) by the application deadline (with the advisor’s endorsement, students with plans to complete their comprehensive exams during the semester that they are applying will also be eligible). Each student may win an Osment only one time during the course of their graduate studies. Applicants must be in good standing and demonstrate timely progress towards degree milestones. MA students are not eligible.
Application Guidelines
A complete application includes:
- A Statement ofContributions to Teaching in the UNC Department of Geography which includes a description of the courses for which the applicant has been a teaching assistant or teaching fellow, and discussion of the applicant’s specific contributions to those classes and to the Department’s teaching mission (Please limit to 500 words)
- A Statement of Teaching Philosophythat includes a discussion of how that philosophy relates to the applicant’s experience teaching at UNC. (Please limit to 500 words)
- A letter of recommendation from the advisor, or from faculty for whom the applicant has been a teaching assistant.
- CV.
- Any relevant evidence of teaching quality and effectiveness such as syllabus, lesson plan, assignments or projects, student evaluations, teaching certificates, and teaching review or evaluation by faculty.
Evaluation
Applications will be evaluated by an ad hoc committee comprised of chairs of relevant committees in the department (DGS, awards committee, TA mentoring), with Chair or Associate Chair. Award decision will be made on the basis of outstanding contributions to the Departmental teaching mission.