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Bouchet Graduate Honor Society

Bouchet Graduate Honor Society

2025 Call for Nominations

Purpose

Named for Edward Alexander Bouchet, the first African American doctoral recipient in the United States, the Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society (Bouchet Society) recognizes outstanding scholarly achievement and promotes excellence in doctoral education and the professoriate. The Bouchet Society was inaugurated on Thursday, September 15, 2005 with a simulcast ceremony held at Yale University and Howard University. As the co-founding chapters, Yale University and Howard University seek to recognize and continue Dr. Bouchet’s pioneering contributions to doctoral education.

At UC San Diego the Bouchet Society seeks to develop a network of preeminent scholars who exemplify academic and personal excellence, foster environments of support, and serve as examples of scholarship, leadership, character, service, and advocacy. In the spirit of Bouchet’s commitment to these pursuits both within and without the academic realm, inductees into the honor society bearing his name should also exhibit these qualities.

Eligibility

  • Doctoral Student Membership will be considered for a UC San Diego Ph.D. student who is ABD (i.e., completed qualifying exam, orals, qualifying papers or equivalent), in good academic standing, and through initial research achievement in a humanities, social sciences and sciences field, has shown outstanding promise as a scholar, as evidenced by independent investigation or current work on a dissertation project.

  • Post-Doctoral Membership will be considered for UC San Diego Post-Doc who has received their Ph.D. degree over the last 6 years, and through initial research achievement in a humanities, social sciences and sciences field shown outstanding promise as a scholar, as evidenced by independent investigation, completion of the dissertation and publications.

Nominations

To make a nomination please fill out this Google form and attach a letter of nomination to it by 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time) on Friday, December 12, 2025. 

GEPA staff will follow up with each nominee individually to obtain additional required nomination materials.  A complete nomination packet will include:

  • Three letters of recommendation to the Bouchet Graduate Honor Society from:

    • Nominee’s Ph.D. dissertation advisor

    • Faculty member with a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences appointment invested in the nominee’s research

    • Faculty member, dean or director from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

  • A nomination evaluation form from each of three recommenders above (indicating strengths of nominee as regards to the five thrusts of the Honor Society)

  • Transcripts from all graduate and professional schools attended

  • A current curriculum vitae

  • Scholarly writing sample

  • A personal statement capturing how the nominee embodies the characteristics of Dr. Bouchet as expressed through the five thrusts and the mission of the Bouchet Graduate Honor Society. Additionally, the candidate should address their anticipated contributions to the Society (2 - 3 pages).

Timeline 

  • Once a nomination is received GEPA will reach out to nominees to gather the additional nomination documentation which is typically due in early January.

  • The Membership Selection Committee will review all applications in winter quarter and provide a recommendation of inductees for consideration to the National Steering Committee.

  • The National Steering Committee reviews all nominated applications submitted from chapter institutions and reserves the right to approve or decline membership into the Bouchet Society.

  • The Scholars are welcome to attend the annual induction ceremony at the Yale Bouchet Conference on Graduate Education on April 10-11, 2026. Participation in this conference is optional and given the current budget challenges, GEPA is unable to provide funds for participation in this conference.

Past Recipients

Past recipient profiles can be found on our website here: https://grad.ucsd.edu/oar2/programs-resources/bouchet/index.html

 

Non Discrimination Statement

In accordance with applicable Federal and State law and University policy, the University of California does not discriminate, or grant preferences, on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, and/or other protected categories.

More information about Proposition 209 can be found here.

More information about the University of California Anti-Discrimination Policy can be found here.