Help! How do I write a letter nominating my graduate mentor for an award?

[Lc4lyf]

Hi folks!

I'm a current graduate student and my former labmate and I are nominating our graduate mentor (a professor) for an "excellence in graduate mentoring" award. We're both required to write a letter of nomination for him and the only guidelines for the letter are "specific examples of exceptional mentoring and impact on the student".

 

I have my specific samples listed and I am truly grateful for the work he put into me and my future. But I have never written a nomination or recommendation letter before, or even seen the letters written for me for various applications. I have no idea what the tone or format should be. Does anyone have any tips or examples they'd be willing to share with me?

 

Thank you!

[PsyDuck90]

I would approach it similarly to the way you would write a statement of purpose. Pick 2-3 specific qualities that your mentor possesses, and in those body paragraphs explain how they exhibit these characteristics, specific examples, and explanations of why these are important qualities in a mentor. 

[Teaching Faculty Wannabe]

On 1/15/2019 at 4:57 PM, Lc4lyf said:

Hi folks!

I'm a current graduate student and my former labmate and I are nominating our graduate mentor (a professor) for an "excellence in graduate mentoring" award. We're both required to write a letter of nomination for him and the only guidelines for the letter are "specific examples of exceptional mentoring and impact on the student".

 

I have my specific samples listed and I am truly grateful for the work he put into me and my future. But I have never written a nomination or recommendation letter before, or even seen the letters written for me for various applications. I have no idea what the tone or format should be. Does anyone have any tips or examples they'd be willing to share with me?

 

Thank you!

I hope this helps! Good luck!