Award Deadlines

Nomination Deadline: November 26, 2007
Application Deadline: February 1, 2008

Award Description

Up to six awards of $2,000 will be available for an awards program to recognize outstanding undergraduate advisement and instruction. Awards will be recommended to the Provost for Academic Affairs by a selection committee comprised of previous years winners and students from each college. Faculty and student representatives will ensure that all colleges and the lower division are represented.

Award Amount: $2,000

Award Eligibility Criteria

Awards will be made to individuals who have been judged to be outstanding with either a) an emphasis on teaching with advising, or b) an emphasis on advising with teaching. Emphasis means that the candidate wishes to stress either teaching or advising, but is involved in both. In making awards, individuals will be recognized for their commitment to, and competence in, advising and teaching as shown by evaluation of those skills by both students and peers, and evidence of activities in which individuals have been, or will be, engaged in for the purposes of developing instructional abilities.

Selection will be limited to full-time faculty and advisors in regular lines (excluding visiting and adjunct faculty) who teach at least two undergraduate courses and advise students during the current academic year (2007-2008). Where feasible, the awardees for awards with an emphasis on teaching will include a faculty member from each of the three colleges and the lower division, and a minimum of one award will be designated with an emphasis on advising. Once receiving an award, a recipient is ineligible to reapply until the third year following the year of the award. Eligibility will be verified by the Provost's Office.

Application Process and Portfolio

Candidates for consideration may be identified through nomination by a second party (e.g., faculty or student) or by direct application of the individual. All candidates will be asked to submit a full professional application portfolio, which should be contained in a 3-ring binder no larger than 3" deep. The portfolio is to include the following as a minimum:

1. Cover letter indicating the award for which the applicant wishes to be considered (the teaching emphasis award or the advising emphasis award), and a personal statement on the importance of undergraduate advising and/or instruction.
2. Complete and up-to-date curriculum vitae.
3. History of the undergraduate courses taught within the past three years.
4. Materials developed for use with the undergraduate courses (e.g., syllabi, handouts, evaluations).
5. All student evaluations of teaching during the past three years.
6. Other documentation indicating that all applicable criteria have been met (e.g., peer evaluations, evidence of attendance at workshops/seminars focusing on the improvement of advising/teaching skills, evidence of self-initiated classroom creative activities and scholarship). Relevant documentation covering a maximum of the past three years. (For the convenience of the reviewers, if plastic page protectors are used only one page should be inserted in each protector).

Award Criteria for Selection of Candidates

1. Criteria common to advising and teaching:
• Evidence that the candidate has demonstrated superior performance in relation to advising and teaching requirements.
• Evidence of both short-and long-term positive impact on students.
• Degree of effective innovation in advising and teaching activities and/or delivery.
• Degree of consistency of performance over time.
• Evidence of self-initiated, formal or informal, creative activities that lead to enhanced performance in advising and teaching.
2. Criteria specific to teaching:
• Evidence that one's overall system of teaching has continued to evolve and improve, especially during the past three years.
• Incorporation of the various technical innovations applicable to the art and science of teaching.
• Incorporation of one's own discipline-specific research and service into the teaching experience, in both the creative and transmittal stages.
• Active involvement of the students in the learning process.
• Evidence that skill in teaching extends beyond the formal classroom and includes individual and small group interaction, if such activity is appropriate.
• Indication that the individual is viewed as knowledgeable in the field and challenging to students.
• Evidence of self-initiated, formal or informal, classroom creative activities and/or innovations that lead to enhanced performance and delivery in teaching, and in enhanced student learning.
3. Criteria specific to advising:
   • Evidence that advising is a significant portion of the individual's duties. Such evidence can be taken directly from the equivalent FTEs/contact hours indicated on each semester's Faculty Activity Report and verified by departmental chairs.
   • Historical evidence of number of advisees and participation in advising activities (e.g., committee, student groups, etc.) and documentation of the effectiveness of the advising.
   • Evidence showing that attention is given to career counseling and personal issues in addition to academic advising.
   • Knowledge of other appropriate specialized advisors and counselors and referencing of students to them when appropriate.
   • Development of special materials for use with the advising/career counseling process.
   • Evidence of self-initiated, formal or informal, innovation that leads to enhanced performance and delivery in advising.
   • Evidence that the candidate demonstrates excellence in teaching.

Award Timeline

Nominations must be submitted to the Provost's Office no later than 5:00 p.m., Monday, November 26, 2007, so the nominee can be notified and has adequate time to prepare an application.

Applications are to be submitted to the Provost's Office no later than 5:00 p.m., Friday, February 1, 2008. Portfolios will be reviewed by the selection committee and a recommendation forwarded to the Provost.

An award announcement will be made at the 2008 Honors Convocation.

Recent Award Winners (Full List)