by Office of the Provost

The Outstanding Thesis Award will be available for 1-2 theses completed in the 2012/2013 academic year.  The winners will each receive $500.  In addition, the winners will be presented at the University’s commencement ceremony in May and will sit with the platform party.

Each college is invited to nominate one outstanding thesis for consideration for this prestigious award.  Students with degrees awarded in May, August, and December of 2012 and those with degrees to be awarded in May 2013 are eligible.  We continue to include the prior May degree recipients so that high quality work completed too late for last year’s college selection process can participate this year.  One restriction remains; nominees sent forward to the Graduate Studies & Research Committee last year may not be nominated again.  The deadline for this year’s competition is March 8, 2013.  Colleges may forward their nominee anytime before the March 8 deadline.

The Graduate Studies & Research Committee will serve as the jury.  In order to assist the Graduate Studies & Research Committee in the difficult task of selecting the “best of the best,” please submit the following with each nomination:

• A copy of the thesis (which will be returned).
• A minimum of two reference letters that indicate the reasons for the nominee’s selection, including some indication of the contribution made by the thesis to knowledge in the field.  Reference letters are required from the college committee or dean and the thesis committee chair or program coordinator.
• The Outstanding Thesis Award Information Form (http://www.sjsu.edu/gradstudies/docs/Outstanding_Thesis_Award_Information_Form-downloadable.pdf) completed for the college nominee.

The Graduate Studies & Research Committee will make its selections by March 18, 2013.  If you have questions or need additional information, please contact David Bruck at david.bruck@sjsu.edu.  We hope that all colleges will be represented this year.