"The Council of Historically Black Graduate Schools seeks to promote the research mission of member institutions by encouraging maximum involvement in scholarly initiatives," said Dr. Maurice C. Taylor, president of the Council of Historically Black Graduate Schools and Dean, School of Graduate Studies, Morgan State University. "The Distinguished Dissertation and Thesis Award represents significant and tangible recognition of ProQuest CSA's endorsement of Council of Historically Black Graduate Schools' mission. The award is the highlight of the annual conference for members as well as the award recipients."
"The recipients of each of these awards are thoughtful, bright, passionate people who achieve excellence and inspire all of us," said Cathleen May, director of dissertations publishing for ProQuest CSA. "Their contributions to society are proof of the value of graduate education-a value our company has supported through two decades of sponsored dissertation and thesis awards."
Presented annually, the awards are granted by prestigious graduate school organizations and funded by ProQuest CSA. The company will demonstrate its commitment to serious researchers and higher education by funding more than $30,000 for these awards in 2007, partnering with the following esteemed participants:
- Canadian Association for Graduate Studies
- Council of Graduate Schools
- Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools
- Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools
- Western Association of Graduate Schools
- Conference of Southern Graduate Schools
- Council of Historically Black Graduate Schools
- American Society for Information Science & Technology
- University of Michigan Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies
Each graduate school organization manages its own dissertations award program. Nominations for the award are made by the graduate school organization's institutional members (all deans of graduate schools). The nominations are then reviewed and winners chosen by the graduate school organization's advisory committee of expert scholars in the field.
Nominees for the UMI Distinguished Dissertation and Thesis Awards must have written their dissertation or thesis and completed the requirements for their doctoral or masters degree program within the past two years. The fields of competition for the awards include biological sciences, social sciences, mathematical and physical sciences, and humanities and fine arts.
