The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and ETS, a global education and talent solutions company, has presented UC Riverside with the 2025 ETS/CGS Award for Innovation in Promoting Success in Graduate Education: From Admission through Completion. 

Lidia Kos, vice provost and dean of graduate studies, and Dawn Loyola, director of GradSuccess in the UCR Graduate Division, accepted the award during a ceremony held at the CGS 65th annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

The ETS/CGS Award for Innovation in Promoting Success in Graduate Education recognizes promising, innovative proposals to enhance student success and degree completion at the master’s and doctoral levels while promoting inclusiveness. The winning institution is selected on the strength of its proposal to meet the award’s goals and to serve as a model for other schools. The winner receives a two-year, $20,000 matching grant; ETS will provide $20,000 to UCR, and UCR will contribute matching funds of its own. 

UCR’s proposal, Embedded Expert Peer Mentors, will redesign its current mentorship program into a new and expanded service, the Graduate Student Mentorship Network (GSMN). The GSMN will embed experienced peer mentors in colleges and schools, allowing them to serve as resources to programs and departments as they establish and expand their mentorship programs. This model enables students in every graduate program to access mentorship and fosters active engagement of faculty and departments in mentoring while maintaining centralized resources and training.

Kos said what distinguishes this initiative is its dual focus of broadening access for students while actively engaging faculty and departments in mentoring practices. 

“I’m thrilled that UC Riverside’s efforts to expand mentorship for graduate students are being recognized by CGS and ETS,” she said. “The Embedded Expert Peer Mentors initiative reflects our belief that every student deserves access to guidance, community, and support from day one. This award affirms our commitment to making mentorship a shared and sustainable part of graduate education.”

Chevelle Newsome, CGS President, said the Embedded Expert Peer Mentors initiative puts students’ needs at the heart of graduate programming by ensuring that there is structure to support student mentorship.

“Congratulations to UC Riverside on this innovative proposal,” Newsome said. “This program is an example of the type of student-centered excellence that will help incoming doctoral students thrive in their first year by creating a dedicated mentorship pathway.” 

Paul Gollash, senior vice president of TOEFL and GRE at ETS acknowledged that graduate student success thrives on strong mentorship and unwavering support. 

“The GSMN amplifies these opportunities across every department, ensuring every student benefits from meaningful guidance and authentic connection,” he said. “ETS is proud to champion the University of California, Riverside’s initiative to strengthen this work and deliver the resources needed to sustain a culture of mentorship that empowers students to excel and thrive.”

This article is a slightly modified version of a news release written by Kelley Karnes, communications and public affairs manager at the Council of Graduate Schools.