Susan Hardwick Excellence in Mentoring Award

Award to a USA, Canada, or International geographer, group of geographers, or geography department that has shown outstanding stewardship in creating supportive academic and professional environments. The awardee will be honored for contributions to their departments, institutions and associations, and the management of the academic and or professional growth of their students and junior colleagues.

Nominations are sought to recognize individuals, groups, or departments who have increased the number of students and faculty from underrepresented groups, improved the quality of their participation in geography or who have impacted the climate of a department, college, or institution toward greater inclusion.

Criteria: The award will honor individuals, groups, or departments who consistently do one or more of the following:

- Have succeeded in establishing formal, informal, or quasi-formal channels for providing support to students, junior faculty and/or employees
- Have a proven track record of successfully graduating students and setting them off into academic or other positions.
- Support junior peers (not necessarily from their own institution) to advance, including but not limited to areas such as promotion, tenure, portfolio development, peer-reviewed research, publishing, course development, project development, grant writing, community engagement, or other activities related to career growth in academia, public, or private sectors.
- Offer sound counsel and valuable information to their mentees in order to advance and develop the mentee’s own path to academic and professional success.
- Generously share their valuable time and expertise in improving the mentee’s work.
- Help to create a vital and engaged geography community at their home Institution or association.
- Involve students, junior faculty and/or employees in projects, publications, grants and conferences, as well as readily sharing knowledge of such opportunities.
- Make others aware of the contributions and value of their students, junior faculty, and/or employees.
- Serve as role models for their colleagues by maintaining high standards for excellence and engagement.
- Demonstrate a commitment to inclusion and to the particular advising and mentoring needs of individuals from traditionally underrepresented groups.
- Have developed and carried out specific practices that are replicable, effective, and highly valued.
- Other evidence of mentoring that warrants recognition.

Awards are presented at the Awards Luncheon during the AAG’s Annual Meeting. The Awardee(s) will be invited to participate in an interview or publication that identifies and promotes specific mentoring practices that are replicable, effective and highly valued in order for these actions to be shared with the broader AAG community.