University of Arkansas at Little Rock

The UALR Foundation Fund Board sponsors a series of awards to recognize and reward faculty excellence in specified areas of performance. Recognition is accorded at the college level and at the university level.

Each award consists of a cash gift and a framed certificate. The college-level awards are in the amount of $1,000. The university-level awards are in the amount of $5,000 each for public service and research, and $10,000 for the award in teaching.

Timetable for Faculty Excellence Awards

Activity	Completion Date
Nominations for college/school awards due to Deans	December 4
Packets of nominees submitted to college/school selection committees	January 28
Names and packets of college/school winners forwarded to Provost (page limitations will be observed)	March 3
Names and packets reach members of national selection panel	March 10
Names of three University award winners given to Provost	April 18
Awards banquet and announcement of winners	May 9

1. Nature and Categories of Awards
   
   1. Award for excellence in teaching.This award is to recognize, encourage, and reward superior classroom teachers, i.e., individuals whose command of their respective disciplines, teaching methodologies, communications skills, concern for student performance, and commitment to the learning process exemplify the teacher/mentor model. The award is not intended to be a popularity contest. It is designed to distinguish those teachers who maintain high expectations of their students and who ensure academic rigor in their courses.
   2. Award for excellence in research or creative endeavors.This award is to recognize, encourage, and reward those individuals whose research or creative endeavors have been particularly successful and are so recognized locally, regionally, and nationally. The results of these efforts should have contributed to the expansion of knowledge and/or the quality of life, and/or encouraged additional research.
   3. Award for excellence in public service.This award is to recognize, encourage, and reward those individuals who have brought credit to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock through their successful efforts in applying the content or skills of their academic disciplines in service to the community, state, or nation in areas of public interest. This award is designed to distinguish those persons whose achievements in serving the public interest have been particularly successful and are so recognized locally, regionally, or nationally.
2. Number and Frequency of Awards
   
   1. Award for excellence in teaching.
      
      1. There may be one award in each college/school of the University annually.
      2. There shall be one university-level award annually. The university-level awardee shall be chosen from the college/school-level award winners.
      3. The awards for excellence in teaching may be shared when the achievements being recognized result from joint efforts.
   2. Award for excellence in research or creative endeavors.
      
      1. There may be one award in each college/school of the University annually.
      2. There shall be one university-level award annually. The university-level awardee shall be chosen from the college/school-level award winners.
      3. The awards for excellence in research or creative endeavors may be shared when the achievements being recognized result from joint efforts.
   3. Award for excellence in public service.
      
      1. There may be one award in each college/school of the University annually.
      2. There shall be one university-level award annually. The university-level awardee shall be chosen from the college/school-level award winners.
      3. The awards for excellence in public service may be shared when the achievements being recognized result from joint efforts.
   4. The term “colleges/schools” refers to the following organizational units within the University:
      
      • College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
      • College of Business
      • College of Education
      • College of Information Science and Systems Engineering
      • School of Law
      • College of Professional Studies
      • College of Science and Mathematics

      In the event of administrative reorganization, the list of colleges and schools shall be adjusted accordingly.

3. Selection
   
   1. Eligibility
      
      1. Persons with faculty status as defined in the current faculty handbook, except for the visiting category, holding full-time appointments who have completed one or more full years of service to the University may be nominated; faculty who have administrative responsibilities are eligible if their administrative duties are 50% or less of their work assignment for the academic year.
      2. Faculty members who are otherwise qualified for the teaching award but who are not administratively a part of one of the seven named colleges/schools shall be eligible through the award process of the college/school that offers the courses such faculty teach.
      3. Persons may not receive an award of the same category in two consecutive years.
   2. Nominations
      
      1. Persons considered for awards shall be identified through a process of nomination.
      2. The nomination process shall be open, i.e., any person may nominate a faculty member for any of the awards; and nominations shall be submitted in writing.
   3. Selection committees—college-level awards.
      
      1. There shall be a selection committee within each college/school.
      2. The size and composition of the committee shall be as follows:
         
         1. One representative chosen by the faculty from each department within the college/school.
         2. One student member.
         3. One alumni member.
      3. In colleges/schools which are not organized departmentally, the faculty shall develop a method for faculty representation.
      4. The manner of choosing the student and alumni members shall be determined by the college/school faculty.
      5. Individuals who serve as administrators with the title of department chair (or its equivalent) and at higher levels of administration are not eligible to serve on the selection committee.
      6. Individuals who are nominated for an award may not serve on the selection committee.
   4. Selection committee—university-level awards.
      
      1. There shall be a single national selection committee composed of seven members.
      2. No member shall be employed by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
      3. The Chancellor shall appoint the members of the selection committee.
         
         1. The composition of the committee shall be national in scope and broadly representative of the disciplines in the colleges/schools in the University.
         2. Committee members may be selected from the academic and nonacademic spheres of endeavor.
      4. Committee members shall receive an appropriate honorarium.
4. Procedure
   
   1. Administration of the award process.
      
      • Administrative support for the award process shall be the responsibility of the Office of the Provost.
   2. Solicitation of nominations.
      
      • Not later than September 30 of each year, the Provost shall advise members of the campus community of the award process and nominating procedure.
      • The Director of Alumni Affairs shall advise the alumni of the University through appropriate alumni publications.
      • Information about the awards shall be widely disseminated throughout the community to encourage participation.
   3. Preparation of nomination packets.
      
      • Nominators are responsible for preparation of nomination packets containing information as specified below (see “Preparation and Submission of Nomination Packets” below). Page limitations will be observed.
      • Department chairs or equivalent administrators shall cooperate with nominators in assembling supporting evidence.
   4. Submission of nomination packets.
      
      • One copy of each nomination packet for the college-level awards shall be submitted to the college selection committee not later than January 22.
      • One copy of each college-level winner’s packet shall be forwarded to the Provost not later than March 5. To be considered, nominations must adhere to the following instructions and page limitations.
   5. Selection committee action.
      
      • College-level selection committees shall meet as necessary in order to complete the selection of the award winners prior to March 5.
      • Committee procedures shall be determined by the respective colleges/schools.
      • The committee shall review such materials as are submitted in the nomination packet.
      • The proceedings of the committees shall be confidential.
      • The committee shall prepare for each college-level winner a one-page letter of support to be included in the nomination packet.
      • Each college-level committee shall forward one copy of the nomination packets of the winners of the college-level awards to the Provost not later than March 5.
   6. The Provost shall forward sets of nomination packets to members of the national selection committee.
      
      • The members of the selection committee shall advise the Provost of the committee’s selections by a date designated by the Provost.
      • The proceedings of the committee shall be confidential.
      • The announcement of university-level winners shall be made at a suitable university event.

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Preparation and Submission of Nomination Packets

Nominations must adhere to the following instructions and page limitations to be accepted by the Provost’s Office.

Place in a single manila folder one copy of each item described below for each nominee. Clearly identify the name of the nominee on the tab of the folder. Please do not use special folders or binders. Submit the folder to the college or school selection committee not later than January 22. Department chairs (or equivalent administrators) are expected to cooperate in assembling the required information.

The contents of each packet should be as follows,

1. Table of Contents
2. Letter of Nomination (limited to four pages maximum)
3. Biographical data. This information should be provided on the following items in the order listed; ordinarily, a standard curriculum vitae is not enough:
   

   1. Name of nominee and award for which nominated
   2. Current position (title, rank, department, or unit)
   3. Number of years in this position
   4. Number of years at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock
   5. Degrees held (source and date)
   6. Employment history (previous positions, years; list most recent first)
   7. Honors and awards
   8. Membership in professional and honorary societies (note offices held)
   9. List of courses taught in each of the five years prior to nomination (for persons who have been at UALR less than five years, the list should include UALR service only). Provide the full course title and not just the course number.
   10. Scholarly and Professional Accomplishments: List of articles and books published and professional accomplishments within the last five years (please provide the complete citation). If there are particularly significant accomplishments before the last five years, those should be included in the letter of nomination. It is not necessary to submit copies of the work, but the selection committee may request these if desired. Although the college/school committee may find it useful to review books, journals, video or audio tapes, and slides or other reproductions of creative work, such items cannot be sent forward to the national selection committee and should not be included in the packets forwarded to the Office of the Provost. Only the contents of the packet as specified above will be sent to the members of the national selection committee.

4. Letters of Endorsement: One-page letters of endorsement may be provided from up to six people who can speak to the award criteria. Letters from students who are likely to be subsequently advised or evaluated by the faculty nominee are discouraged. Standard, anonymous student evaluations and individual letters from graduates are appropriate. The perspective or status of the authors of the letters should be clearly identified, either in the letter itself or by the person who prepares the nomination packet as well as their title, e.g., Professor of English, or Alumnus, or Dean of Arts, or Student, etc.

Award for Excellence in Teaching

Persons preparing applications for the teaching award should note carefully the importance of addressing assessment. The application must include a description of how the applicant has used assessment to improve course content, pedagogy or degree program outcomes. Applications which do not address this important teaching dimension will not be forwarded to the national selection pane.

Each nomination packet for the teaching award should include excerpts or summaries from the department’s or program’s routine student evaluation of the nominee, accompanied by an explanation of the rating scale and other information needed for a reviewer to understand the student evaluations. In addition to student evaluations, it is recommended that chairs address the individual’s teaching strength based on annual merit reviews and promotion/tenure application information prepared in the department.

The national selection committees looks for command of the discipline, use of appropriate teaching methodologies, demonstration of exceptional communication skills, concern for student performance, commitment to the learning process, and maintenance of academic rigor. Evidence of innovation and adaptation of new technologies are also important.

Award for Excellence in Research

The supporting letters that have been most helpful to reviewers have addressed the significance of the research in its theoretical and practical aspects. Supporting letters from knowledgeable individuals other than those employed at UALR are helpful in all cases; they seem to be especially so in this category. Remember that the tangible research itself—a book, a journal, or the like—will not be forwarded to the members of the national selection committee.

Award for Excellence in Public Service

The members of the national selection committee have thought of public service in the context of the application of the skills, methodologies, or content of the academic discipline to a community or public situation. The supporting material should make clear the impact or results of the public service activities. In this category, too, letters from persons outside the university, as well as from faculty colleagues, are especially useful. It is helpful to have information about how the public service work of an applicant advances the mission of UALR as an urban or metropolitan university and helps meet the needs of the state/nation.

General Information:

• Don’t forget the Table of Contents.
• The members of the national selection committee are not likely to be specialists in the nominee’s discipline, and some may not be academics; they—and everyone else—appreciate clear and simple prose.
• If an individual writing a supporting letter is not clearly identified in the letter by professional status, vantage point, or area of expertise, it is useful to include a brief biographical statement. In some cases, the person preparing the nomination packet has in a single page provided a one-paragraph summary of the background and qualifications of each of the authors of supporting material. Letters of nomination coming from senior experienced individuals take on more weight and create a stronger influence than those coming from graduate students or junior faculty with limited experience.