CAGS/ETS Award for Excellence and Innovation in Graduate Education

The Canadian Association for Graduate Studies (CAGS) and Educational Testing Service (ETS) jointly sponsor this annual award given to a CAGS member school in recognition of outstanding administrative and/or programmatic contributions to enhancing the graduate student experience and outcomes of graduate education.

Purpose

To encourage, recognize and reward administrative or programmatic excellence and innovation in enhancing the experience of graduate students and outcomes in graduate education, from recruitment through degree completion.

The award focuses specifically on recognizing co-curricular or administrative innovations and excellence. Applications may relate to any facet of the graduate education process, including recruitment, admission, program management, academic enrichment, retention and degree attainment. For example:

• development of innovative and effective methods to communicate with and attract high-quality prospective applicants
• utilization of technology to improve the student experience in navigating the administrative aspects of their graduate programs
• improvement of the retention and/or satisfaction of particular student populations in your programs
• development of innovative methods for assessing the graduate student experience
• programmatic efforts to improve degree completion
• programmatic efforts to enrich the academic experience, such as through professional development activities, student mobility programs or other initiatives

Eligibility Requirements

Any CAGS member institution or graduate program within a CAGS member institution is eligible for the award. Only one application will be accepted from a given graduate school. The internal institutional selection processes are the responsibility of the Dean of the Graduate School or comparable official.

Award Value

Awarded annually, each award consists of:

• a certificate of award
• a $2,500 award to the winning graduate program or school for graduate recruitment, admissions or retention programs
• public recognition at the annual meeting of the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies

Award Recipients

CAGS/ETS Award Recipients

Year	Academic Institution	Winning Submission
2012	McGill University	SKILLSETS
2011	Faculty of Education of the Université de Montréal	Implementation of an Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Program
2010	School of Graduate Studies at Memorial University, Newfoundland	Lean, Mean, and Green: Memorial University's Cost-effective and Environmentally Responsible Approach to Graduate Student Recruitment

See the CAGS Award Description for information on the 2013 CAGS/ETS Award.