Wilbur Cross Medal Nomination Process for Submissions by Alumni
The Graduate School presents its highest award, the Wilbur Lucius Cross Medal, to its most outstanding alumni.
Wilbur Lucius Cross (BA 1885, PhD 1889) was an American literary critic, Sterling Professor of English, dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (1916-1930), and the 71st governor of Connecticut (1931-1939). The medal recognizes distinguished achievements in scholarship, teaching, academic administration, and public service.
Medalists spend a day on campus, during which they meet with faculty and students in their respective departments and present a lecture. The visit culminates with an award ceremony and dinner where they are honored by the university president and dean of the Graduate School. See a complete list of past medal recipients organized by department.
Alumni and friends of the Graduate School are invited to submit nominations for consideration. Nominations are open and accepted year-round but must be received by March 1 for consideration for the following year’s honorees.
Nominations should be sent via our submission form and must include the following information:
- Nominee’s name and current contact information
- Letter of nomination from the primary nominator
The following information is not required but strongly encouraged:
- One or two additional supporting letters from individuals with knowledge in the relevant field.
- A list of additional potential nominators
- Links or files with the nominee’s CV or short bio, professional web presence, LinkedIn profile, or news stories.
All nominations will be reviewed by the dean of the Graduate School and the chair of the Yale Graduate School Alumni Association Board. Vetted nominations will be passed along to the appropriate academic department chair in the spring to prepare and submit a complete nomination in the fall.
In November, a committee comprised of members of the Graduate School Alumni Association and faculty representatives from each of our divisions will select the medalists.
Note that the selection committee does not consider current Yale faculty members and discourages nominations of Yale professors emeriti. Nominations submitted by departments remain active for three years.
If additional guidance is needed, please contact the GSAS Alumni Office.