Selection Process and Timeline for 2007 KSU Foundation Distinguished Teaching, Scholarship and Service Faculty Recipients

Award Overview

Our faculty awards for distinguished teaching, scholarship, and service provide a mechanism for honoring excellence in the areas that are central to KSU's mission. Exemplary teaching, scholarship, and service contribute mightily to the real difference faculty make in the life and education of students as well as the lives of people, within and outside the academy. University level winners and finalists will receive the following awards:
a. The winner of the KSU Foundation Distinguished Teaching Award receives a substantial cash award from the KSU Foundation ($6,500 in 2006) and access to an expense account ($6,500 in 2006), which is administered through the Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning, to support professional travel, instructional materials, research supplies, or computer hardware and software.
b. The winners of the KSU Foundation Distinguished Scholarship and Service Awards each receive a substantial cash award ($5,000 each in 2006) from the KSU Foundation, which is equally divided if an award is given to a collaborative team, and access to an expense account ($5,000 each in 2006), which is administered through the Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning, to support professional travel, instructional materials, research supplies, or computer hardware and software.
c.Finalists for each of the distinguished awards receive a cash award from the KSU Foundation as well as access to a $1,000 expense account of state money.

Selection Process Overview

Using the criteria established by the Faculty Development and Awards Committee (FDAC), each college will select an award recipient for distinguished teaching, service, and scholarship at the college level. In addition, the graduate dean will coordinate the selection of award recipients for distinguished teaching, service, and scholarship from among the graduate faculty. The winners of the college and graduate studies awards will automatically be the semi-finalists for the University-Wide Distinguished Teaching, Scholarship, and Service awards.

Award Eligibility

Any full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty member who has completed a minimum of three full academic years at KSU when nominated.

The awards will be presented during the 2007 opening of university faculty meeting. Recipients must be under contract at KSU during the 2007-2008 academic year in order to receive any part of the award.

Once a faculty member has received the distinguished teaching, service, or scholarship award from a particular constituency (college, graduate studies, or university-wide), he or she will not be eligible for the same award from that constituency for five years.

If an award winner for distinguished teaching, service, or scholarship for a college or graduate studies is not selected as the university-wide recipient of that award, he or she will continue to be eligible for the university-wide award in that category for the next two years. He or she will be invited to submit updated portfolio/application materials to the University FDAC each year.

Selection Process for College & Graduate Studies Awards

1. Working with the faculty, each college dean and the graduate dean will establish a process (e.g., a Faculty Awards Committee) that will coordinate the nomination and selection for its respective awards. At least one representative that participated in the process for each college should also be a current member of the University Faculty Development and Awards Committee to aid with the interpretation of criteria and to bring continuity to the review process from the college to university level.

2. Each college and graduate studies will establish its own nomination process. At a minimum, each department or program within a college will identify one or more nominees who will submit supporting documentation for the award. Identification of nominees should be based upon input from teaching and administrative faculty, staff, and students and their eligibility as defined above.

3. Nominees for each award will be asked to submit the following materials:
a. A cover page that includes the nominee's name and department, and the award program for which the materials are forwarded (Distinguished Teaching, Scholarship, or Service).
b. A current copy of their curriculum vita. The vita must highlight those articles that are in peer-reviewed publications.
c. A letter of application that addresses the nominee's strengths and accomplishments relative to the award criteria.
d. Selected supportive documentation of no more than 20 single-sided pages that relates to the award criteria. College selections committees should review adherence to this limitation when reviewing nominee portfolio/application materials. Portfolios/applications that are not consistent with these instructions will not be considered by the FDAC.
e. An administrative evaluation by the nominee's immediate supervisor evaluating the nominee's accomplishments in the area for which he or she is nominated.

4. Using the portfolio/application materials described above, each college and graduate studies will select one winner for each of the distinguished awards. The selection must be based upon the criteria cited below in order to maintain consistency within the review and selection process at the college and university levels.

Selection Process for University Awards

The College Deans and the Dean of Graduate Studies (or their designated chair of the college faculty awards committee) is responsible for submitting the names and 10 copies of the portfolio/application materials (DO NOT send original documents, only copies) for all winners for each of the distinguished awards to the CETL Director who will forward them to the Chair of the University FDAC. The University FDAC Committee will recommend a University-wide winner and three finalists for each of the distinguished awards from among these individuals and those faculty with continuing eligibility from the last two years who submit a portfolio/application. The names and portfolio/application materials for the winners and finalists are then forwarded to the President, Provost, and KSU Foundation for subsequent announcement at the Fall Opening of University faculty meeting. All selections are confidential until the awards ceremony.

2006-2007 Recommended Time Frame for Nomination and Selection for KSU Foundation Distinguished Teaching, Service, and Scholarship Awards

By early October, 2006 Departments and each College initiate the nomination process for the awards

By mid November, 2006 Nominees are asked to submit portfolio/application materials

By early January, 2007 Portfolio/Application materials due to the college dean for forwarding to the selection committee

By March 12, 2007 College and Graduate Studies recipients and finalists selected and names and 10 copies of their portfolio/application materials forwarded to the CETL Director.

By late April, 2007 FDAC forwards recommendations for winners to the President and Vice President for Academic Affairs

College Award Ceremonies should be held in Spring Semester. University Awards will be announced at the Fall 2007 Opening of University faculty meeting.

Criteria for Award Selection at College and University Levels

KSU Foundation Distinguished Teaching Award
The principal college and university award for excellence in teaching is the KSU Foundation Distinguished Teaching Award. Teaching engages both teachers and students in learning through group instruction, individual instruction, student supervision, mentoring, advising, counseling and curricular or pedagogical innovation. Award criteria are:
a. Consistent excellent performance in teaching, mentoring, and/or supervision as evidenced by student success and appreciation; peer and/or administrative review; and student accomplishments.
b. Development and implementation of innovative pedagogy that exhibits creativity, honors individuality and diversity; addresses current practice, trends, and issues in one's discipline and higher education; and is based on evidence that it facilitates student learning.
c. Sustained impact on teaching and the improvement of instruction and curriculum as shown through adopting effective teaching practices, developing special projects and curricula, mentoring other faculty, and sharing and disseminating one's teaching expertise and innovations with others through professional presentations and publications.

KSU Foundation Distinguished Scholarship Award
The principal college and campus award for excellence in research, scholarship, and creative activity is the KSU Foundation Distinguished Scholarship Award. Scholarship is the term used to encompass a diverse and multidimensional array of research and creative activities through which faculty make significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge, understanding, problem-solving, aesthetics, and pedagogy. Award criteria are:
a. Consistent excellent performance in scholarship and/or creative activity as evidenced by the level of activity in and commitment to scholarship and/or creative activity; the quality of scholarship and/or creative activities; and the strength and depth of expertise.
b. Evidence of sustained leadership in the advancement of scholarship and/or creative activity that exhibits dissemination and adoption of one's scholarship and/or creative activity by others; mentoring other faculty and students; sharing expertise with others; and holding positions that recognize the nominee's scholarship and/or creative activity.
c. Impact and significance of scholarly and/or creative work as evidenced through publications, performances, creative works, grants and contracts, citations by other professionals, and adoptions.

KSU Foundation Distinguished Service Award
The principal college and university award for excellence in service is the KSU Foundation Distinguished Service Award. Service activities must be tied directly to one's special field of knowledge and relate to, and flow directly out of, this professional activity. Award criteria are:
a. Consistent excellent performance in professional service as evidenced by the level of professional service activity, commitment to the quality of the service provided, and breadth and depth of the service record.
b. Evidence of sustained leadership in multiple professional service activities, or, in exceptional cases, evidence of outstanding leadership in a major service activity.
c. Impact and significance of professional service as evidenced by the perceived importance of work by others, contribution to organizational improvement and advancement, public recognition, and dissemination through presentations and publications.