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Philip Amsterdam Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards

The Philip Amsterdam Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards honor Graduate Assistants (GAs) who have made an outstanding contribution to GW teaching and recognize the important contribution our graduate students make to the educational process. In 2003, President Stephen J. Trachtenberg and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Donald R. Lehman established the Philip Amsterdam Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards for Outstanding Teaching. 

Graduate assistants may be nominated by any GW student or faculty member. Winners are selected by a committee and receive $500 for professional development. The recipients will be honored at the Faculty Honors Ceremony.

 

Award Criteria

This honor is awarded to Graduate Assistants (GAs) who will have had at least three semesters of GA experience by the end of the fall semester; Instructional Assistants are eligible for this award if their work has been in a teaching capacity. Nominated GAs/IAs must have outstanding evaluations from their students and their supervising professors, as well as outstanding academic work. Winners will be selected based on the following qualities:

  • Enthusiasm, effectiveness, and commitment to improvement of the teaching and learning process.
  • Ability to engage and inspire students both within and outside the classroom.
  • High standards of professionalism and collegiality.
  • Commitment to the educational enterprise of the University.

 

Selection Process

GAs may be nominated by any GW student or faculty member. 

The process:

  1. Nominators must complete the nomination form by November 30, 2023.
  2. To endorse the nomination, the department will be asked to submit the following supporting materials electronically via InfoReady by January 16, 2024.
  • Amsterdam Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards - Cover Sheet
  • Letter of support (1–2 pages) from a faculty mentor or supervisor detailing the GA’s accomplishments.
  • Students’ comments on the GA’s semester feedback, with numerical ratings where available (maximum of 5 pages)
  • Any other supporting materials the nominee wishes to include (CV, student statements, etc.)

The submission package should be a maximum of 15 pages, not including the required cover sheet; material beyond the 15-page limit will not be considered. 

More information on how to submit via InfoReady will be sent after the call for nominations has closed. 

 

Deadlines

  • November 30, 2023: Nomination forms for 2024 are due via InfoReady
  • January 16, 2024: Submission packages due via InfoReady

Please contact Faculty Affairs (202-994-6783; [email protected]) with any questions.

 

2023 Philip Amsterdam Graduate Teaching Assistant Award Winners Video


2020-2022 Amsterdam Graduate Teaching Assistant Award Winners Video

2019 Amsterdam Graduate Teaching Assistant Award Winners Video

All previous Amsterdam Graduate Teaching Assistant Award winners