Created by the CGS Board of Directors to recognize outstanding leadership in graduate education, this award is given annually to an individual who exemplifies the leadership qualities of the Council’s fifth president, Debra W. Stewart. The selection committee gives serious consideration to nominees with a strong reputation for ethics and integrity, a history of active participation in the graduate community, and a record of strategic vision and actions resulting in meaningful impacts in areas such as, but not limited to, evidence-based innovation, program development, diversity and inclusion, student learning and career outcomes, personnel management, policy advocacy in support of graduate education and research, and fiscal responsibility.
If a selection is made, the award will be conferred at the CGS Annual Meeting Awards Luncheon in December 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.
Eligibility Requirements
- The current graduate dean (IHE1) at any CGS “Regular” or “Associate” member institution is eligible to be nominated for the award.
- Any administrator, faculty or staff member associated with a CGS member institution may make a nomination. The nominator and nominee need not be at the same institution, so long as both institutions are CGS members.
- The committee welcomes and encourages re-nominations. However, nominators must fill out an updated nomination form. Letters of support may be re-submitted without change as long as they are dated no more than two years prior to the current date of submission and the individual providing the president or provost’s letter still holds their position (otherwise, a letter from the new president or provost must be provided).
- Members of the CGS Board of Directors are not eligible to be nominated for the award during active years of board service.
How to Submit a Nomination Package
A complete nomination package includes the following components:
- 300-word summary of the nominee’s achievements in the relevant areas of leadership
- The nominee’s curriculum vitae (5 pages maximum)
- Signed letter of endorsement from the president or provost at the nominee’s institution
- Three additional letters of recommendation supporting the nomination
- A combination of internal letters (submitted by individuals at the nominee’s home institution) and external letters is encouraged. Letters should be addressed to the “Debra Stewart Award Selection Committee.”