Dean Kitto Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award
The Dean Kitto Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award recognizes an inspirational graduate student who, through their service as a teaching assistant, made outstanding contributions to student learning. The award is made possible by an endowment established by Dean Emerita Kathy Kitto and her husband Dennis Waller.
About Dean Emerita Kathy Kitto and Dennis Waller
Kathleen Kitto served as Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Research from 2013-2017. At Western, Kitto also served as associate dean of Western’s College of Sciences and Technology from its inception in 2003 until 2011 and was special assistant to the Provost for Strategic Initiatives from 2011 through 2013. She is a professor of Engineering Technology and served as chair of that department for seven years. She also served as director of Western’s Advanced Materials Science and Engineering Center.
Dennis Waller is the husband of Dean Emerita Kitto who together made a foundational gift to provide resources to acknowledge the outstanding achievements of graduate students at Western and to promote their success through the Kitto Graduate Student Hub. Before retiring, Dennis spent his career in development, and his final position was with the nation’s largest health charity.
Nominations for the 2026 Kitto Graduate Student Teaching Assistant Award are now CLOSED.
Selection Criteria
Eligibility for 2026 is limited to current graduate students who plan to complete their degrees by Spring quarter 2026, and recent alumni who completed their degrees during Summer 2025 or later. A person may receive The Dean Kitto Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award no more than once.