The College

Faculty Prizes

The College oversees three teaching and advising prizes, awarded each year: the Henry Merritt Wriston Fellowship, the Karen T. Romer Prize for Undergraduate Advising and Mentoring, and the Meenakshi Narain Excellence in Research Mentoring Award.

The Henry Merritt Wriston Fellowship

The Henry Merritt Wriston Fellowship is awarded each year to regular untenured members of the faculty (assistant professors and lecturers) who have achieved a record of excellence in teaching and scholarship during their first years at Brown. The winner, chosen by a faculty committee, is granted one semester of leave on special assignment at full compensation, including benefits, during the next academic year.

Applications

Applications for Wriston Fellowships are due by March 10, 2024. Faculty members interested in applying for this award are asked to submit their application packet electronically through UFunds. Applications should include the following:

  • a personal essay describing the candidate's teaching philosophy and teaching accomplishments at Brown, and research plans for the fellowship semester (approx. 1000 words)
  • a letter of support from the department chair
  • two additional letters of support from colleagues who can comment on the candidate's teaching and on the merits of the proposal
  • a current CV
  • a listing of all courses taught (with enrollments), and leaves taken for each semester the candidate has been at Brown
  • copies of teaching evaluations for the last two semesters of teaching
  • submit application materials through UFunds, Brown's online application system. 

The Karen T. Romer Prize for Undergraduate Advising and Mentoring

The Karen T. Romer Prize for Undergraduate Advising and Mentoring was created in 2004 to recognize and reward excellence in advising by Brown faculty. The prize was established by the family of trustee Marty Granoff, and is named for a former Associate Dean of the College who was a creative and passionate advocate for undergraduate education.

The Romer Advising Prize is presented each year to two faculty members who have demonstrated extraordinary care in attending to the academic and personal needs of undergraduate students. Each winner receives an award of $7,000. 

Request for Nominations

A request for nominations goes out to faculty and students every February, and winners are selected by a committee of students, faculty, and administrators. The prizes are awarded at a special ceremony. For further information about these awards, please email college@brown.edu.

The Meenakshi Narain Excellence in Research Mentoring Award

The Meenakshi Narain Excellence in Research Mentoring (ERM) Award recognizes faculty members for their excellence in mentoring undergraduate researchers, as well as for their promotion, encouragement and training of diverse students in undergraduate research. The winner will receive a $2,000 prize.

Nomination Process

Nomination letter should provide evidence of the nominee’s accomplishment in, and ongoing support for, excellence in mentoring undergraduate researchers. Nomination can be submitted by students, alumni and faculty (self-nomination will be accepted). Ideally the nomination letter should include:

  • Summary of nominee’s record regarding the mentoring of undergraduate research activities, as well as the scope, longevity and impact of their efforts on the educational experience of undergraduates;
  • A list of mentees’ (e.g. undergraduate students supported through SPRINT|UTRAs and other external funding such as NSF, NIH, HHMI, NASA etc.) and scholarly contributions (e.g. accepted abstracts, conference presentations, published manuscript and project titles) in the last 3-5 years;
  • any other leadership activities promoting undergraduate research

A request for nominations will go out to faculty and students, and winners will be selected by a committee of students, faculty and administrators. 

Past Winners

Year Winner Name(s)
2023 Karen M. Fischer
Paul B. Greenberg
Brenda M. Rubenstein
Parker VanValkenburgh
2021 Erica Durante
Daniel Harris
2019 Dioscaris Garcia
2018 Ian Dell'Antonio
2017 Nicolas Fawzi

Contact

For further information or questions, contact undergraduateresearch@brown.edu.