Student Experience Awards

André Auger Citizenship Award

The André Auger Citizenship Award was established in 2000 to honour André Auger who served as Director of the Counselling & Student Resource Centre from 1973-2000. Each year, the Citizenship & Leadership Education program celebrates the leadership, vision and compassion that characterized André's contributions on campus and in the local community through the presentation of this award to an undergraduate or graduate student who has consistently demonstrated a sense of personal responsibility and commitment toward community that is worthy of notice.

This award consists of a certificate of honour and a permanent plaque displayed in the University Centre. Recipients will be presented with the award at the annual Student Experience Awards Reception.

Eligibility Criteria

The recipient of the André Auger Award can be any undergraduate or graduate student, enrolled between May 1st of 2024 and the closing of the nomination period. The recipient will have been involved in the following types of activities:

Volunteerism in a range of involvement opportunities on and/or off campus;

• Community decision making;
• Active information research and sharing;
• Inclusion of diverse people and points of view;
• Encouragement of others to become actively involved; and
• Significant, caring contributions through service to the community.

Required Supporting Documentation

Nomination packages must be submitted online and include a completed nomination form and a combination of the outlined supporting documentation. Documentation included in the nomination should serve to illustrate how the nominee embodies the specific award criteria.

• A letter of nomination that provides evidence that the nominee has consistently demonstrated a sense of personal responsibility and commitment toward community through her/his/their volunteer efforts.
• Letters of support and specific documentation from at least two of the following:
  • Student organization members; and/or
  • Community organization members; and/or
  • Faculty, staff and others who support this nomination.

Documentation Checklist

• Completed Nomination Form (required)
• Letter of nomination (required)
• Two or more letters of support (required)
• Other documentation to support the nomination package (Example: resume, quotes, emails, newspaper articles, letters, etc.) (optional)
  
  Please note: Application package must be submitted as one PDF document.

Brian D. Sullivan Student Leadership Award

The Brian D. Sullivan Student Leadership Award was established in honour of Brian Sullivan who served as Associate Vice-President, Student Affairs from 1988 to 1999. This award is presented to a graduating student who has made significant contributions to student leadership through their involvement as an elected or appointed student representative at the University of Guelph.

Recipients will be presented with the award at the Student Experience Awards Reception.

Eligibility Criteria

The nominee must be convocating in 2025. The nominee must have served as an elected or appointed representative with a student organization at the University of Guelph at some point during their academic career.

Contributions made by the recipient demonstrate a commitment to collaborative leadership and positive change that is worthy of recognition. Specifically, this student representative:

• Empowers others;
• Is ethical;
• Is process-oriented;
• Is inclusive of people and diverse points of view; and
• Is committed.

Required Supporting Documentation

Nomination packages must be submitted online and include a completed nomination form and a combination of the outlined supporting documentation. Documentation included in the nomination should serve to illustrate how the nominee embodies the specific award criteria.

• A letter of nomination that packages must include a completed nomination form and a combination of the outlined supporting documentation.
• Letters of support and specific documentation from at least two of the following:
  • Student organization members; and/or
  • Community organization members; and /or
  • Faculty, staff and others who support this nomination

Documentation Checklist

• Completed Nomination Form (required)
• Letter of nomination (required)
• Two or more letters of support (required)
• Other documentation to support the nomination package (Example: resume, quotes, emails, newspaper articles, letters, etc.) (optional)
  
  Please note: Application package must be submitted as one PDF document.

Erin Angus Graduate Student Engagement Award

The Erin Angus Graduate Student Engagement Award was established in honour of the Graduate Students’ Association long-time Office Manager, Erin Angus. The recipient will embody the characteristics of steadfast dedication, humble service, and ever-present support of graduate students for which Erin Angus is known.

This award is presented to a graduate student who has made significant contributions to graduate and all student life through their engagement within the campus community during the past year.

This award consists of a certificate of honour and a permanent plaque displayed in the University Centre. Recipients will be presented with the award at the Student Experience Awards Reception. Please avoid self-nominations.

Eligibility Criteria

The nominee must be a current graduate student who is involved currently or has been involved with campus life. Contributions made by the recipient demonstrate a commitment to collaborative leadership and positive change that is worthy of recognition. Specifically, this student representative:

• Is committed to improving the graduate experience;
• Empowers others to become engaged on campus;
• Is process-orientated;
• Acts with integrity to promote graduate interests; and
• Is inclusive of people and diverse points of view.

Required Supporting Documentation

Nomination packages must include a completed nomination form and a combination of the outlined supporting documentation. Documentation included in the nomination package should serve to illustrate how the nominee embodies the specific award criteria.

• A letter of nomination that provides evidence that the nominee has clearly met the award criteria.
• Letters of support and specific documentation from at least two of the following:
  • Student organization members; and/or
  • Community organization members; and/or
  • Faculty, staff and others who support this nomination.

Documentation Checklist

• Completed Nomination Form (required)
• Letter of nomination (required)
• Two or more letters of support (required)
• Other documentation to support the nomination package (Example: resume, quotes, emails, newspaper articles, letters, etc.) (optional)
  
  Please note: Application package must be submitted as one PDF document.

Hasnul F. Abdollah International Student Award

The Hasnul F. Abdollah International Student Award was established in honour of Hasnul F. Abdollah, a Malaysian international student at the University of Guelph from 2012-2016. Each year, Student Experience celebrates the commitment, kindness and service that characterized Hasnul’s contributions to the international student community at the University through the presentation of this award to an undergraduate international student who has demonstrated similar characteristics worthy of notice.

Eligibility Criteria

The recipient must be a current international undergraduate student at the University of Guelph who has been enrolled for 2 or more semesters. Contributions made by the recipient demonstrate a long-term commitment to collaborative leadership and positive change in service to the international student community. Specifically, the student:

• is committed to improving the international student experience;
• empowers others to become engaged on campus;
• demonstrates acts of kindness;
• acts with integrity to promote international student interests; and
• is inclusive of people and diverse points of view.

Required Supporting Documentation

Nomination packages must include a completed nomination form and the outlined supporting documentation. Documentation included in the nomination package should serve to illustrate how the nominee embodies the specific award criteria, and includes:

• A letter of nomination that outlines how each of the award criteria have been met through the nominee’s actions, attributes and attitude.
• A completed nomination form.
• Letters of support and specific documentation from at least two of the following:
  • Student organization members and/or
  • Community organization members and/or
  • Faculty, staff and others who support this nomination.

Documentation Checklist

• Completed Nomination Form (required)
• Letter of nomination (required)
• Two or more letters of support (required)
• Other documentation to support the nomination package (Example: resume, quotes, emails, newspaper articles, letters, etc.) (optional)
  
  Please note: Application package must be submitted as one PDF document.

Kishaadigeh Award

The Kishaadigeh Award "She Who Guards the Lodge": was established in 2010 to honour Jaime (Mishibinijima) Cidro, who served as the Indigenous Student Advisor from 2003-2010. This award is presented to a First Nations, Métis or Inuit students enrolled in an associate diploma, undergraduate, or graduate program of study at the University of Guelph, University of Guelph-Humber, or Ridgetown Campus who is engaged in co-curricular activities that enrich their educational experience and is achieving well academically. The recipient is also connected in meaningful ways to the larger community, actively encouraging others to become involved and is a role model for other Indigenous learners.

This award consists of a certificate of honour and a permanent plaque displayed in the Indigenous Student Centre. Recipients will be presented with the award at the Student Experience Awards Reception. Please avoid self-nominations.

Eligibility Criteria

• Engaged in co-curricular activities that enrich their educational experience;
• Demonstrated academic achievement;
• Connected in meaningful ways to community (examples of community connections could include: the campus community; the greater city community; the Indigenous community; their home community);
• Actively encouraging others to become involved; and
• A role model for other Indigenous learners.

Required Supporting Documentation

Nomination packages must include a completed nomination form and a combination of the outlined supporting documentation. Documentation included in the nomination package should serve to illustrate how the nominee embodies the specific award criteria.

• A letter of nomination that provides evidence that the nominee is an Indigenous student, in any semester, who demonstrates academic achievement, leads by example, and has a positive impact on their peers and community.
• Letters of support and specific documentation from at least two of the following:
  • Student organization members; and/or
  • Community organization members; and/or
  • Faculty, staff and others who support this nomination.
• Confirmation of First Nations, Inuit, or Métis identity through the completion the University of Guelph’s Indigenous Identity Confirmation Process for Students by the award deadline.

Documentation Checklist

• Completed Nomination Form (required)
• Letter of nomination (required)
• Two or more letters of support (required)
• Other documentation to support the nomination package (Example: resume, quotes, emails, newspaper articles, letters, etc.) (optional)
  
  Please note: Application package must be submitted as one PDF document.

Laurie Schnarr I Am A Gryphon Award

The I AM A GRYPHON Award was established to honour Laurie Schnarr who served in Student Affairs from 1990–2019, first as Coordinator of the Peer Helper Program and finally as the Director of Student Experience. This award recognizes commitment to the full student experience that characterized Laurie’s leadership. Celebrating an individual or team effort within Student Affairs, this award recognizes recipient(s) who provide exceptional service to students and exemplify the I AM A GRYPHON commitments - Determined, Caring, Engaged, Respectful and Authentic. The recipient(s) have risen to meet a significant challenge, have demonstrated creativity or innovation in their approach, and as Gryphons, have been committed to being respectful, caring, determined, engaged, and authentic.

This award consists of a certificate of honour and a permanent plaque displayed in the University Centre. Recipients will be presented with the award at the Student Experience Awards Reception. Please avoid self-nominations.

Eligibility Criteria

• Be a current student, staff or faculty;
• Demonstrated creativity or innovation in their approach to meet a significant challenge;
• Committed to improving the community at U of G;
• Actively encouraging others to become involved; and
• Be a role model for other Gryphons.

Documentation Checklist

• Completed Nomination Form (required)
• Letter of nomination (required)
• Two or more letters of support (required)
• Other documentation to support the nomination package (Example: resume, quotes, emails, newspaper articles, letters, etc.) (optional)
  
  Please note: Application package must be submitted as one PDF document.

R.P. Gilmor Student Experience Award (2 Awards)

The R.P. Gilmor Student Experience award was established to honour of R.P. Gilmor who served as the Provost of the University of Guelph from 1967 to 1987. Both his vision of and dedication to student life has helped shape Student Affairs at the University of Guelph. This award is presented to an individual student or student group and an individual staff or faculty member/group who shares Paul Gilmor's commitment to improving the student experience and has contributed to the betterment of student life at the University of Guelph.

This award consists of a certificate of honour and a permanent plaque displayed in the University Centre. Recipients will be presented with the award at the Student Experience Awards Reception. Please avoid self-nominations.

Two awards will be presented, one for a student or student group, and another for a staff, faculty, alumni, or community member.

Eligibility Criteria

The recipient of the award must have an association with the University. Achievements of the nominees may include the following:

• Increasing student involvement in campus life and learning;
• Strengthening the sense of community at the University;
• Expanding opportunities for social, intellectual, spiritual and physical development;
• Encouraging student/faculty interaction;
• Advancing the understanding of how students learn and develop;
• Exhibiting leadership in support of the University’s Learning Objectives; or
• Promoting University policies and structures that heighten responsiveness to the needs and aspirations of students.

Required Supporting Documentation

Nomination packages must include a completed nomination form and a combination of the outlined supporting documentation. Documentation included in the nomination package should serve to illustrate how the nominee embodies the specific award criteria.

• A letter of nomination that provides evidence that the nominee has made a significant contribution to a club or organization at the University of Guelph through their involvement.
• Letters of support and specific documentation from at least two of the following:
  • Student organization members; and/or
  • Community organization members; and/or
  • Faculty, staff and others who support this nomination.

Documentation Checklist

• Completed Nomination Form (required)
• Letter of nomination (required)
• Two or more letters of support (required)
• Other documentation to support the nomination package (Example: resume, quotes, emails, newspaper articles, letters, etc.) (optional)
  
  Please note: Application package must be submitted as one PDF document.

Roberta Mason Award

The Roberta Mason Award, formerly the Rookie Involvement Award, was renamed to honour Roberta Mason who, throughout her time as a student, professional staff, and Director of Student Life & Career Services, served as a champion for the advancement of programs and services that fully engage students in the life of our campus. The award recognizes a student in any semester that, for the first time, has become actively involved in campus life and has made outstanding contributions to a club or organization at the University of Guelph.

Recipients will be presented with the award at the Student Experience Awards Reception.

Eligibility Criteria

The recipient of the award may be any undergraduate or graduate student enrolled between May 1st, 2024, and the closing of the nomination period who has become involved in campus activities for the first time. The recipient must have:

• Made outstanding contributions to a club and/or organization at the University of Guelph;
• Shown a great deal of commitment to a club or organization at the University of Guelph; and
• Made a significant impact on a club and/or organization due to their involvement.

Required Supporting Documentation

Nomination packages must include a completed nomination form and a combination of the outlined supporting documentation. Documentation included in the nomination package should serve to illustrate how the nominee embodies the specific award criteria.

• A letter of nomination that provides evidence that the nominee has made a significant contribution to a club or organization at the University of Guelph through their involvement.
• Letters of support and specific documentation from at least two of the following:
  • Student organization members; and/or
  • Community organization members; and/or
  • Faculty, staff and others who support this nomination.

Documentation Checklist

• Completed Nomination Form (required)
• Letter of nomination (required)
• Two or more letters of support (required)
• Other documentation to support the nomination package (Example: resume, quotes, emails, newspaper articles, letters, etc.) (optional)
  
  Please note: Application package must be submitted as one PDF document.