Wellness and Work-life Balance

Now is the time to nominate graduate students for two special distinctions - The Winifred and Louis Lancaster Annual Dissertation Award and the 2020 Graduate Student Commencement Speaker. Read on for important details and deadlines!

By Daina Tagavi, Professional Development Peer
Thursday, March 26th, 2020 - 3:10pm


Now is the time to nominate ​graduate students for two special distinctions!

The Winifred and Louis Lancaster Annual Dissertation Award
The annual Lancaster Dissertation Awards competition recognizes individuals who, in the opinion of the award committee, have completed dissertations representing original work that makes an important contribution to the discipline. To be eligible for this year's competition, dissertations need to have been completed between July 1st, 2018, and June 30th, 2020.

The 2020 fields of competition specified by the national Council of Graduate Schools are:

  • Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Engineering Competition: click here to download requirements.
  • Social Sciences Competition: click here to download requirements.

Deadline for nominations is Friday, May 1, 2020.

2020 Graduate Student Commencement Speaker
In addition to conferring honor on the student and the department, the student speaker has the opportunity to address a wide and distinguished audience on matters of importance, set the tone for the ceremony, and represent the graduate student body.

To download the Student Speaker Announcement, Application, and Checklist, click here.

Deadline for nominations is Friday, May 1, 2020.​

To learn more about commencement, click here.

Questions concerning the competitions may be directed to Jackie Snider in the Graduate Division.