Faculty & Staff

Departmental Award for Excellence in Graduate Mentoring 2007-08

In 2007, one outstanding UCSB department was chosen for their innovative, thoughtful, and successful work with their graduate students. This year's recipient of the Departmental Award for Excellence in Graduate Mentoring (DAEGM) is the Department of Communication. Communication has been awarded a one-year DAEGM fellowship to use either for recruitment or to support a continuing graduate student. The selection committee was comprised of past DAEGM award winners.

The committee's decision was based on data provided by the department, results from the Doctoral Exit Survey, and statistics from the Office of Budget and Planning that showed admission, median time-to-degree, and number of degrees conferred.

The Department of Communication was cited for its exemplary efforts in creating a collaborative community of faculty and graduate students. Students widely noted that the "climate is great in general, faculty treat us as colleagues" and the "department shows great respect for graduate students." This supports the department's overall efforts in providing the best graduate experience for its students. Because the department has recruited top-notch, competitive students, provided them with full funding, facilitated an effective time-to-degree with peer mentors and accessible faculty, the Communication's graduate students are successes in their fields, as evidenced by their job placement "at some of the most prestigious universities nationally and internationally." The Communication Department's overall efforts in providing a comprehensive and intellectually challenging academic and social setting reflects the time and consideration that the faculty have put into making the department a mentoring success.

Past Winners