The SCS Committee for College and University Education invites departments and programs of classical studies at colleges and universities to apply for the SCS Award for Excellence in Academic Advising.
This award is intended to recognize programs and departments which actively and positively shape students’ lives and careers through purposeful and sustained advising activities, and is inclusive of academic, research, internship, and employment preparation of students at the undergraduate or graduate level. The award will be granted annually to one department or program that demonstrates excellence in creating a culture of positive student advisement in any or all levels of postsecondary education.
Eligibility
Any department or program that awards at least one degree or certificate (minor, major, BA, postbac, MA, MAT, PhD, etc.) in Classics or the fields traditionally associated with Classics such as Greek and Latin language, Greek and Latin literature, Greek and Roman studies, Classical Archaeology, etc., is eligible to apply for this award.
At least one faculty member of the department applying for this award should be a member of the SCS.
One program will be selected each year for this honor. Upon receipt of this award, SCS will send a press release to the winning institution informing them of the award granted. Unsuccessful nominations will be considered for two additional years. The award is laudatory and comes with no monetary prize.
Self-Nomination Process
The self-nomination dossier, to be submitted via the SCS application system, requires the following three forms of documentation from the department or program:
- A letter from the chair/head of the department or program that describes the success and identifies the nature and audience of student advisement within that program or department;
- Three letters from current or former advisees (including alums who have graduated within three years of the application) attesting to the programs and practices described in the department chair’s letter;
- Up to ten pages of evidence of advising excellence, whether that be articles in print or online, data from college/university student satisfaction surveys, and/or other sources that demonstrate success in student advising.
The deadline for departments or programs to submit their application is June 1, 2025.
To apply, please submit a self-nomination through our award, fellowship, and grant application system: apply.classicalstudies.org. The form will open for submissions two to three months before the deadline.
Criteria for Excellence
Advising activities that meet criteria for excellence may include:
- Successfully increasing the number of undergraduate majors and minors over a period of at least 3 years.
- Successfully maintaining the number of undergraduate majors and minors over a period of at least 3 years.
- Evidence of student satisfaction with the major or minor.
- Evidence of a program of career preparation for undergraduates: this may include regular advising meetings, assistance with finding internships, research opportunities, grants, or study abroad programs, lectures or seminars about career preparation, opportunities for employment while a student, lectures or seminars about applying to graduate school in classics, courses incorporating civic engagement or experiential learning, etc.
- Evidence of regular advising and mentoring of graduate students: this may include regular advising meetings, assistance with finding research opportunities, dissertation topics, opportunities and guidance for presentation and publication of research (one-on-one or seminar-style), grants for research and conference travel, opportunities for employment while a student, guidance for finding careers in academia, alt-ac, outside of academia, and at a variety of institutions (R1s, SLACs, regional universities, community colleges, etc.).
- Evidence of undergraduate and graduate student satisfaction with the department or program’s advising and career preparation activities.
- Evidence of departmental or program activities to attract and support a diverse student body.