_{Please note that the information provided in this call for nominations is subject to change. We are currently finalizing workflow processes in Slate among other details. However, this opportunity is being offered this year, each department may nominate two prospective students, and our goal is to award five prizes. We appreciate your patience and will provide complete information as soon as it becomes available.}

On behalf of Graduate Division Dean James Antony, I am writing to request nominations for the Katzin Prize.  The Katzin Prize will be used as a recruitment tool to attract the top academic doctoral candidates applying to UC San Diego. The cohort will be a select group of scholars, demonstrating outstanding talent and promise.  Over time, the Katzin Prize will be awarded to students who represent the full spectrum of graduate study at UC San Diego, from the fine arts to the physical sciences.

Eligibility

• This prize is available to incoming Ph.D. graduate students in all graduate academic programs who will commence graduate study at UC San Diego in Fall of 2020.  
• Five Katzin Prizes will be awarded to outstanding incoming Ph.D. students for 2020-21 in any of the following divisions:

• Arts & Humanities, Division of Biological Sciences, Jacobs School of Engineering, Physical Sciences, Rady School of Management, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Social Sciences and Health Sciences. 
• Masters candidates are not eligible. 
• MSTP students are only eligible for support during their years in a Ph.D. program and a compelling case needs to be made as to how the Katzin Prize would retain them at UC San Diego to complete the Ph.D. portion of their studies

Award

• Each prize will provide $10,000 of annual funding to the recipient, allocated for each year of study, and renewable for up to five years (for a total of five years of support).  
• Each award of $10,000 will be funded by The Katzin Prize Endowment Fund, which was established by Jerome and Miriam Katzin as a generous gift of $4 million for an endowed fellowship and to support graduate students.
• The prize funding must be over and above the financial support package offered to the student by his or her home department because it is intended as a mark of distinction. All financial support packages should meet or exceed the minimum level as outlined here: https://collab.ucsd.edu/x/xXRdB
• Successful candidates are expected to attend all Katzin Prize events and provide annual written updates on the use and impact of funds from the prize. 
• Recipients are expected to write a thank you/introduction letter to the donor.

Nominations

Each eligible predoctoral graduate program may nominate two qualified students. Use Slate to nominate your students for the Katzin Prize. The following items are required for a complete nomination package:

1. Nominate and confirm the applicant for admission in Slate
2. Faculty Nomination Letter
3. Financial Support Letter
   • Include details about the multi-year support package offered by the department
   • The financial commitment offered to the student should adhere to the provisions outlined in the Graduate Student Funding Reform Memo. For more details about this, please visit the Graduate Division Collab website. 

For more instructions on how to nominate your students in Slate, see Graduate Admission's Slate User Guide for Nominating Students in the Fellowship Workflow. 

Deadlines

There will be two deadlines. Programs will be notified of successful candidates within two weeks and will be expected to make efforts to encourage the student to commit to UC San Diego in a timely fashion.

• The first deadline is January 30, 2020.
• The second deadline is February 27, 2020.

Results 2020

The following information was sent to the Graduate Coordinators and Graduate Chair listserv.