Academic Policy 1405.17

Instructions and Guidelines for Preparation of Nominations for the Alumni Association Faculty Distinguished Achievement Awards and the Charles and Nadine Baum Faculty Teaching Award

These guidelines are designed to facilitate the uniform and equitable consideration by the selection committee of nominees for annual awards given by the University of Arkansas to recognize faculty excellence in teaching, research, and public service. The University of Arkansas reserves these awards for individuals who are recognized as having extraordinary accomplishments in teaching, research, and public service, above and beyond the ordinarily high standards that University faculty adhere to.

Four awards will be given: the Charles and Nadine Baum Faculty Teaching Award and three Alumni Association Faculty Distinguished Achievement Awards, one in each of the following categories: (1) Rising Teaching Award (2) research/scholarship/creative activity and (3) public service.

The Charles and Nadine Baum Faculty Teaching Award is reserved for full-time tenured or non-tenure track full professors, university professors, or distinguished professors. The Alumni Association Faculty Distinguished Achievement Rising Teaching Award is reserved for tenured, tenure-track, or non-tenure track assistant or associate professors. Full-time faculty at all ranks and tenure statuses are eligible for the research/creative activity and public service Alumni Association awards.

Materials for research/scholarship/creative activity and public service awards should also include teaching documentation and materials for teaching awards should also include research scholarship. However, the Alumni Association Faculty Distinguished Achievement Awards will be given primarily on the strength of the respective category.

Selection Process

Deans will create a faculty committee to screen nominees from the school, college, or library. There shall not be more than a total of four nominees per college, one per award, except that the Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences may have six nominees across the four awards. Faculty with appointments in two or more colleges/schools can only be nominated by one college/school.
The faculty committee’s recommendations shall be forwarded to the dean who shall make the official nomination. The dean shall provide a recommendation letter for inclusion in the nominee’s packet.
The nominee’s packet shall be submitted by the dean’s office of the college/school/library to the provost’s office.
The Provost will arrange for a committee of faculty, students, and alumni to select award recipients from nominations received from the deans.

Nominee Considerations

Faculty cannot receive the Charles and Nadine Baum Faculty Teaching Award or an Alumni Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award (research, service, rising teaching) in the same category twice. However, a candidate who has received an award in one category is eligible for another category (e.g., previous recipient for Alumni Association Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award in teaching is eligible for the Alumni Association Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award in research or service.)
Nominating materials should clearly highlight the nominee’s accomplishments specific to the award they are nominated for.

Deadlines for Submission to Office of the Provost

Nominations are due in the Office of the Provost no later than May 1 or the first working day following that date.

Nomination Materials for Baum Teaching Award and Alumni Association Faculty Distinguished Achievement Rising Teaching Award

Nomination materials are limited to no more than 25 pages that are single-spaced with a 1-inch margin and 12-point font. [Do not submit copies or reprints of publications, including books, conference reports, technical reports, etc.
A traditional vita must be included in the nomination materials but shall not count towards the 25-page limit.
List the courses taught each semester for the past three years. Provide course number and title and enrollment for each course along with a consolidated chart reporting student evaluation core component of each class. Include comments from course evaluations or other summaries of teaching evaluations, if desired. Include the direction of graduate student/honors student research and provide descriptions as appropriate.
Provide a consolidated syllabus (or assignment sheet) for each course.
Include an evaluation by the department head/chair completed in the past year along with three to six peer evaluations of teaching.
Include descriptions of innovative or unconventional teaching techniques or procedures used with a class(es).
Provide information on any participation in course and curriculum development or revision and any individual teaching development activities.
Provide any other documentation, such as a personal statement on teaching philosophy, practice, and goals; synopsis of student activities under the nominee’s direction; or a teaching portfolio.
Describe any awards, honors, or recognition received for teaching or received by students for accomplishments under the nominee’s direction.
Evaluations by former students may be included. If the evaluations were solicited for the nomination process, the solicitation process should be described.

Nomination Materials for Alumni Association Faculty Distinguished Achievement Awards in Outstanding Research, Scholarship or Creative Activity

Nomination materials are limited to no more than 25 pages that are single-spaced with a 1-inch margin and 12-point font. [Do not submit copies or reprints of publications, including books, conference reports, technical reports, etc.]
Nominating Statement. This portion of the nomination letter should specifically state the basis for the nomination in this category and serve as a guide to the research materials submitted in support of the nomination. It should link assertions concerning accomplishment or ability to supporting evidence. It should be interpretive and evaluative. It should state the most important contributions of the nominee to their field(s) of research or creative endeavor.
A traditional vita must be included in the nomination materials (which includes bibliography of refereed and non-refereed publications, list of papers/presentations, reports for proprietary agencies, patents, and evidence of other scholarship, and/or creative activity) but shall not count towards the 25-page limit.
Provide the significance of the research, scholarship, or creative endeavor to the discipline or field. (This statement must be made by someone other than the nominee.) List citations of most important work.
Describe ways in which the research or creative activities have benefited students at the University, including descriptions of the work of students of the nominee and their achievements.
List external grants received from outside the University including title of project, funding agency, amount, and period of support.
Describe any internal grants or special allocations of university funds to support the research or creative activity of the nominee. Include a statement of how much release time, per year, has been provided for research.

Nomination Materials for Alumni Association Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award for Outstanding Public Service

Nomination materials are limited to no more than 25 pages. [Do not submit copies or reprints of publications, including books, conference reports, technical reports, etc.
Nominating Statement. This portion of the nomination letter should specifically state the basis for the nomination in this category and serve as a guide to the public service materials submitted in support of the nomination. It should link assertions concerning accomplishment or ability to supporting evidence. It should be interpretive and evaluative. It should state the most important contributions of the nominee to his or her field(s) of public service, identifying public service to the institution separately from public service to the profession.
A traditional vita must be included in the nomination materials but shall not count towards the 25-page limit.
For each public service activity to the university, region, state, country, or internationally, supply the following: (a) nature and date(s) of the activity; (b) contributions made by the nominee; and (c) statement on benefits, especially those to the institution, to students, and to colleagues from this activity.
For each professional organization served, supply the following: (a) contributions made by the nominee to the organization (include offices held with dates, special activities, meetings attended); (b) statement on benefits to nominee, to students, and to colleagues from participation in this organization; and (c) contributions of the organization to the profession and other accomplishments.
Detail other public service, including numbers of individuals or groups served and nature of contributions. [Such service might include applied research, consulting and technical assistance, or clinical work and performance, etc.]
Provide at least one evaluation from a source external to the University that states the significance of the public service.
Provide awards or other recognitions for public service activities.

03/27/24
10/30/2019
4/25/17
Reformatted for Web October 9, 2014
2/14/13