Supervision Award for Faculty Members

Award Winners

JJ Berry Smith Award for Doctoral Supervision

Prof. Pamela Klassen and Prof. Angela Colantonio are the 2024 recipients of the JJ Berry Smith Doctoral Supervision Award, which recognizes outstanding performance in the multiple roles associated with doctoral (PhD, EdD, DMA, SJD) supervision.

Prof. Elizabeth Peter received an Honorable Mention.

View Past Recipients of the JJ Berry Smith Award for Doctoral Supervision

• Prof. Pamela Klassen2024 Winner
• Prof. Angela Colantonio2024 Winner

Pamela Klassen is a professor in the Department of the Study of Religion in the Faculty of Arts & Science. Professor Klassen’s current research addresses religion, colonialism, treaties, and public memory in North America and Turtle Island. She has supervised or co-supervised 20 doctoral students and 14 master’s students and has served on many dissertation committees at U of T and other universities. Klassen has worked closely with students as co-authors and research associates, approaching the study of religion with a diversity of methods including the digital storytelling project Kiinawin Kawindomowin Story Nations (storynations.utoronto.ca), a collaboration with the Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung Historical Centre of Rainy River First Nations, in Treaty 3 Territory.

Read more about Professor Klassen.

Angela Colantonio is a professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and director of the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Colantonio currently holds a Canada Research Chair in Traumatic Brain Injury in Underserved Populations and leads an internationally recognized program of research integrating sex and gender considerations with a focus on female brain injury (abiresearch.utoronto.ca). Colantonio has led/co-led over 80 grants and authored over 300 publications and is extremely grateful for the contributions of so many dedicated and talented trainees she has had the honour of mentoring.

Read more about Dr. Colantonio.

---

Early Career Supervision Award

Prof. Cillian O’Hogan and Prof. Angela Mashford-Pringle are the 2024 recipients of the Early Career Supervision Award, which recognizes pre-tenure faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in the various roles associated with graduate supervision.

View Past Recipients of the Early Career Supervision Award

• Prof. Cillian O’Hogan2024 Winner
• Prof. Angela Mashford-Pringle2024 Winner

Cillian O’Hogan is an assistant professor at the Centre for Medieval Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Science. Professor O’Hogan teaches medieval Latin language and literature and courses on medieval manuscripts. His research interests are late antique and medieval Latin poetry, history of the book, translation studies, and the afterlife of classical and late antique literature in the middle ages. O’Hogan currently holds a SSHRC Insight Grant to study the medieval transmission and reception of the works of Prudentius, an influential Latin poet of the fourth century CE. 

Read more about Professor O’Hogan.

Angela Mashford-Pringle is a member of Timiskaming First Nation (Algonquin – Bear Clan) who was born, raised and resides in the Tkaronto area (Treaty 13). Dr. Mashford-Pringle’s research is at the intersection of Indigenous health and education including cultural safety, justice involved peoples, land-based learning, climate action, and Indigenous policy analysis. She holds tri-council funding for storywork with previously incarcerated Indigenous peoples and Indigenous parents who have experience with child welfare. Mashford-Pringle embraces Indigenous pedagogies and ontologies by using Land as Teacher in her graduate teaching (land-based learning), which includes simultaneously learning and teaching with colleagues, students, and collaborators.

Read more about Dr. Mashford-Pringle.

---

Purpose

The School of Graduate Studies Supervision Awards aim to recognize outstanding performance in the multiple roles associated with graduate student supervision. Each year, two JJ Berry Smith Doctoral Supervision Awards and two SGS Early Career Supervision Awards will be offered to successful nominees: one of each award in the Humanities / Social Sciences and in the Physical / Life Sciences.

Each award recipient receives an SGS Supervision Award certificate, an SGS Travel or Conference Grant (up to $5000) for a current student to support their research travel or conference presentation. Award winners have their names inscribed on a plaque housed at the School of Graduate Studies

The annual SGS Graduate Student Supervision Awards honour active faculty members who, over a minimum of a 15-year period (JJ Berry Smith Doctoral Supervision Award) or up to 6 years (SGS Early Career Supervision Award), have demonstrated excellence in supervision at the University of Toronto by:

• inspiring and guiding students to reach excellence in scholarship, fostering a strong sense of academic integrity;
• providing an environment that is supportive with particular attention to mental health and work life balance;
• enabling students to learn the essential methodologies, concepts and cultures of their discipline;
• introducing students to the wider content of the discipline and relevant communities of scholars;
• promoting student participation in professional development and activities that position them for future careers both within and outside academia; and
• leading a research environment that is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Eligibility Criteria

JJ Berry Smith Doctoral Supervision Award:
Nominees must be active graduate faculty members at the University of Toronto, having supervised doctoral students (PhD, EdD, DMA, SJD) for a minimum of 15 years

Early Career Supervision Award:
Nominees must be tenure-stream or status-only graduate faculty members at the University of Toronto within the first six years of acquiring a graduate faculty appointment, having engaged in supervision of graduate students (master’s degree or doctoral degree) in committee member, co-supervisor or sole supervisor roles.

Selection Criteria

Nominations will be evaluated based on how well the candidates have demonstrated excellence in supervision at the University of Toronto by meeting and exceeding each selection criteria below:

1. Inspiring and guiding students to achieve excellence in scholarship, fostering a strong sense of academic integrity;
2. Providing an environment that is supportive with particular attention to mental health and work life balance, while stimulating and tailored to their individual learning styles, needs, and career/future aspirations;
3. Enabling students to learn the essential methodologies, concepts and cultures of their discipline;
4. Introducing students to the wider context of the discipline and relevant communities of scholars; and
5. Promoting student participation in professional development and activities that position them for future careers within and outside academia;
6. Leading a research environment that is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

In an effort to assist Faculties in reviewing their nominations, an SGS Scoring Sheet is available for Faculties’ internal selection committee use, and may be shared with nominators / nominees.

Important Dates

• Deadline: Date set locally by graduate unit / faculty
• Faculty Nomination to SGS: April 1, 2024
• Results and Presentation of Award: May 2024

Nomination Package

The nomination package provides evidence that the nominee has met the above six criteria as demonstrated through the following components:

Components 1 through 5 should be submitted as separate PDF files, using the file naming convention “Last name, First name – 2024 SGS Supervision [Item Name]”.

Components 6 and 7 should be submitted as separate excel spreadsheets, using the file naming convention “Last name, First name – 2024 SGS Supervision A (or B)”.

1. Completed Nomination Form;
2. A substantial Faculty letter of recommendation from the Dean / Vice-Dean, Graduate (2 pages), which clearly sets out the basis for the nomination. Letter should provide context for the discipline: e.g. clearly address the supervisory norms (including expectations for publishing and presenting with supervised students), types of students (e.g. placement in academia vs. industry), publication norms (especially for early career nominees), and how the nominee stands out among peers in the same discipline;
3. Letters of nomination (letters may be from an individual or group):
   • A letter from the department chair, current or former colleague(s); and
   • Two to five letters from current or former students(s) – group letters are encouraged;
4. A statement written by the candidate (2-3 pages, suitable for public release):
   • Addressing the candidate’s graduate mentoring / supervision philosophy, and
   • Describing the candidate’s personal approach or strategies for mentoring/supervision;
5. Abbreviated Curriculum Vitae (max. 8 pages) addressing the following categories, as applicable:
   • Academic Appointment(s)
   • Mentoring or Supervision awards
   • Awards for joint work with graduate students
   • Funded or unfunded grants with graduate students
   • ­All publications within the last 5 years with notations* to indicate those co-published with graduate students:
     • Additionally, list only co-publications with graduate students beyond the last five years and:
       • Within the last 15 years for JJ Berry Smith Award; or
       • Within last 6 years for Early Career Award
   • ­Co-presentations with graduate students
     • Within the last 15 years for JJ Berry Smith Award; or
     • Within the last 6 years for Early Career Award
   • ­Updated: Past and current graduate advisory roles (in a non-supervisory capacity, e.g. thesis committee member)
   • External appraisals of doctoral dissertations, which includes:
     1. Appraisal of a thesis or dissertation completed at a university where the nominee was not a faculty member; and
     2. Appraisal of a thesis or dissertation completed at the same university as the nominee and supervised by a committee that did not include the nominee. 
   • Service related to graduate student support, supervision or mentoring
   • Other activities or accomplishments relevant to graduate student supervision and mentorship.
6. A completed Table A: List of nominators in Excel format; and
7. A completed Table B: listing all current and former graduate (master’s and doctoral) students including their degree information, current positions, etc.

*Please indicate publications with current or former graduate student co-authors using the following notations: highlighting the publication in yellow; and underlining the names of graduate students within each publication.

Nomination Process

Faculty nominations are due to the Dean of Graduate Studies and Vice-Provost, Graduate Research and Education through the Faculty Dean or Vice Dean Graduate Office.

Students, faculty members and staff wishing to submit a nomination package for consideration by their Faculty should contact their home graduate unit to inquire about the selection process and local deadlines.

Faculties may nominate one candidate in each of the four SGS divisions (Humanities, Social Sciences, Physical Science, Life Science) to a maximum of four nominees per award, i.e., up to four nominees for the JJ Berry Smith Award and up to four nominees for the Early Career Supervisor Award.  The divisional category of nomination is up to the discretion of the nominating faculty; normally the nominee would fall into the SGS division of the graduate unit where they hold graduate faculty membership.

Requests for an additional quota may be considered by SGS where a Faculty has two exceptional candidates from within the same division. Each nomination package is to be submitted electronically as 7 separate files (5 PDFs, 2 Excel spreadsheets).

Please retain the original application materials until December 31, 2024. In the event that a candidate is being put forth for other supervision/ mentorship awards, faculty offices will be contacted to provide documents in MS Word format. For example, winners of the JJ Berry Smith Supervision Awards may be invited to be nominated for the annual CAGS and NAGS Mentorship awards.