3M National Student Fellowship
2015 Award
Presented by: Brad Buie and 2014 3M National
Student Fellow, Tye Landels
Overview of the 3M National Student Fellowship
• 2015 3M National Student Fellows: UVic, Western University x
2, St. Lawrence College, Mount Allison University, University
of Toronto at Mississauga, Quest University University of
Toronto at Scarborough, Brock University
• 3M National Student Fellowship honours up to ten full-time
undergraduate students each year.
• Fellows demonstrate “outstanding leadership in their lives
and at their university… embrace a vision of quality education
that enhances their academic experience and beyond.”
Overview of the 3M National Student Fellowship
• Fellows receive $5000, plus an invitation to the STLHE annual
conference in June (plus, contribution to the cost of travel and
accommodation).
• Opportunity to develop a cross-Canadian collaborative project
the goal of enhancing teaching and learning at the postsecondary level.
Eligibility of the 3M National Student Fellowship
• You are enrolled full-time in a post-secondary undergraduate
college or university diploma or degree program at a Canadian
institution.
• You are enrolled in your first undergraduate program.
• You are neither in your first year nor your final year of your
program.
Application for the 3M National Student Fellowship
• greatest challenge is defining and demonstrating educational leadership.
• Nominee is “brought to life” through concrete evidence.
• The nomination should be a unified, narrative of yourself as learner,
thought-provoker, visionary, and active community member.
• Demonstrate creativity, distinctiveness and leadership.
• Nominator “makes a case” for the applicant’s leadership profile by
connecting the material within the package.
Application Checklist for the 3M National Student
Fellowship Internal Selection
Abridged Application
Adjudication
Weight
1.
Nomination Letter
18
2.
Definition of Leadership (500 words)
18
3.
Challenges in Post-Secondary Education (500 words)
18
4.
Transformational Educational Experience (500 words)
18
5.
Unofficial transcripts for previous year of program
18
6.
Awards and recognition
10
List of attributes of past award winners
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Breadth of impact
Proactive
Leads by example
Transformative
Volunteer
Active involvement
Passionate
Generous
Change agent
Role model
Inspirational
Community builder
Students who take full advantage of learning opportunities in and outside
the classroom
Articulating your leadership
How to connect to you!
Three “C” Framework of Leadership
(Gandz et al., 2010)
– Character, Competencies, and Commitment –
these three domains define leadership
– Leaders must be Competent, be Committed to a
leadership role and the hard work that comes with
it, and finally exhibit strong leadership
Characteristics, such as integrity, courage, and
knowledge.
What is important in academia today?
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Collaboration
Interdisciplinarity
Diversity
Experiential learning
Integration of Research and Learning
Tips
• Focus in your examples of leadership on the effects
on others - who benefits from that leadership.
• Ensure that the letter of nomination and any
additional letters of support do not simply repeat.
Tye Landels
2014 3M National Student Fellowship
Award Recipient
STLHE 2014 Awards Ceremony, Kingston
STLHE 2014 Plenary III, Kingston
Tye’s application tips
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Work closely with your nominator
Express yourself with humility and confidence
Share your passion and enthusiasm
Plan ahead (time flies!)
© Karen You
2015 National Student F
Vancouver B
Navi’s application tips
• Schedule meetings with your nominator to dig deep into
the material
• Set mini-internal deadlines to send completed drafts for
revision
• Talk to friends, mentors, professors, teachingassistants about the challenges & solutions for higher
education — let your essays come to life!
• Invest time in asking for reference letters (e.g.
http://www.uvic.ca/graduatestudies/finances/financialaid/sch
olarshipapps/))
Also…Time flies!
Here was my 2014 timeline:
Nov 4th
UVic information
session & met
with nominator
Nov 7th
Nov 20th
Sent
completed first
draft to
nominator
Second
meeting
with
nominator
Nov 17th
Oct 22
Oct 29
Contacted
Contacted
by nominator
potential
referees
Nov 6th
Sent drafts of
sections to
friends & family
for feedback
Sent second
draft
to family &
friends
to help review
Nov 24th
UVic internal
deadline!
Good Luck!
“Applying for the NSF is perhaps like voting in this
year’s national election. By asking tough questions,
seeking solutions, challenging the norms, and
dreaming of what is possible — completing this
application is saying YES! to deepening and
strengthening post-secondary education.
You each have immensely important perspectives to
share, and I really think you will get a lot out of
investing in this application process. For me, it was the
cartilage that linked together my experience and my
hopes for the world!”
Navi Smith, UVic Biology Student
2015 3M National Student Fellow
Questions?
Brad Buie – bradbuie@uvic.ca
Tye Landel – tlandels@uvic.ca
Navarana Smith – navarana@uvic.ca