CALL FOR NOMINATIONS:

ECWCA OUTSTANDING TUTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD

ECWCA TUTOR LEADERSHIP AWARD

Deadline:  March 18, 2013

Each year the East Central Writing Center Association (ECWCA) acknowledges the outstanding service provided by tutor/consultants throughout the region. Designed to celebrate the contributions of undergraduate-student, graduate-student, and staff writing center tutors, these awards serve not only to publicly acknowledge deserving tutor/consultants, but also to support and sustain the important work of writing centers for campuses and larger communities for another generation. Two awards, one in each category explained below, are presented each year.

Award Categories:

1. Outstanding Tutor of the Year Award

This award recognizes innovative approaches to tutoring/consulting, the quality of work with writers, and the articulation of a tutoring/consulting philosophy. While any member of the writing center staff who tutors may be nominated for the Outstanding Tutor of the Year award, it is generally given to those who hold tutoring positions.

2. Tutor Leadership Award

This award recognizes the leadership contributions of undergraduate-student, graduate-student, and staff writing center tutors, including but not limited to administrative work, development of new programs, writing center training innovations, presentation of writing center work in academic and non-academic forums, work with special populations, and creativity. While any tutor may be nominated for the Tutor Leadership Award, it is generally given to tutors who hold positions of leadership in their writing centers: for instance, assistants to the director, assistant directors, and graduate students are the most likely candidates for this award.

Awards:

$200 Cash Award
Award Certificate

Guidelines for Nominators:

Individual institutions are welcome to nominate multiple writing consultants for both awards; however, each tutor/consultant should only be nominated for one award per year. Award recipients are ineligible for the same award in the following year.

Nominators must include the following three documents (rtf or pdf):

1. A short cover letter written by the nominee for identification purposes only

(on letterhead, if electronic letterhead is available) that

·      identifies her/himself
·      names the category for which she or he is being nominated,
·      provides the nominee’s address and/or e-mail and phone numbers,
·      identifies the nominee’s institution,
·      provides the name and contact information for the faculty/administrator/colleague sponsoring the nomination.

(Note: This cover letter will be separated from the other two documents during the review process to ensure blind review.)

2. A personal statement written by the nominee. To ensure a blind review, the nominee should use plain paper (not letterhead) and avoid mentioning an institution. Provide first name and last initial as a means of identification, instead.

a.     For the Outstanding Tutor of the Year Award, the personal statement should describe a clear philosophy of tutoring/consulting, exemplified through narratives about one or two significant tutoring/consulting sessions.
b.    For the Tutor Leadership Award, the personal statement should delineate the activities that demonstrate the nominee’s leadership in the writing center.

3. A letter of support for the nominee from the sponsoring faculty/administrator/colleague. This letter should

·      make clear whether the nomination is for the Outstanding Tutor of the Year Award or the Tutor Leadership Award;
·      for the purpose of anonymity, be written on plain paper (not letterhead);
·      avoid reference to the nominee’s institution;
·      refer to the nominee by first name and last initial;
·      and be written anonymously.

Submission Deadline: March 18, 2013, midnight

Submission Procedure: The nominating person should attach the above three forms in an email to Trixie Smith, Awards Committee Chair, smit1254@msu.edu

Review full call online at ecwc.org including the judging criteria. For other questions, contact Trixie at the email above.

Thank you for nominating your tutors!