Excellence in Graduate and Professional Teaching

Quick Jump:
I. Overview
II. Calendar
III. Eligibility
IV. Evaluation Criteria
V. Nominations
VI. Selection
VII. Submission
VIII. Other Awards
IX. Attachments

Overview

Faculty members from academic units with graduate or professional instructional programs are eligible for the Campus Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Teaching. Up to two winners will be selected to receive this award. The award consists of $5,000 in cash for the personal use of the faculty member selected, and a recurring salary increment of $3,000. Each winner will also receive a personalized commemorative plaque.

Back to Top

Calendar

January, 30, 2009: Nominations are due by 5pm.
March 13, 2009: Results are expected to be announced.
April 29, 2009: Celebration for Teaching Excellence, 7pm, Alice Campbell Alumni Center.

Back to Top

Eligibility

  • Tenured.
  • Has at least a 50 percent appointment in a graduate or professional degree-granting unit; and has taught a minimum of one course at the graduate or professional level on the Urbana-Champaign campus for at least four full semesters.
  • Taught on the Urbana-Champaign campus for at least 5 years.
  • Has not won this award in the previous 10 years.

Back to Top

Evaluation Criteria

  • Sustained excellence in graduate or professional teaching.
  • Positive impact on graduate or professional student learning.
  • Innovative approaches to graduate or professional teaching.
  • Other contributions to improve graduate or professional instruction.  Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:  Engaging students in the classroom; developing courses and curricula; mentoring graduate teaching assistants; leading workshops on pedagogy; advancing the scholarship of teaching and learning; or making other multidimensional contributions beyond the classroom, laboratory, or studio.

Back to Top

Nominations

  • Nominations may be submitted by students, faculty members, administrators, or alumni to a departmental committee, which should include at least one graduate student member. 
  • Faculty members who have been nominated during a particular year should not serve on the committee during that same year. 

For ease of writing the nomination and committee evaluation, please follow this outline when submitting your nomination

  • The standard cover page (Attachment A) needs to be completed, including the appropriate signatures.   (Not to exceed 1 page.)
  • A statement of evidence to support each of the criteria itemized in the “Evaluation Criteria” section above.  (Not to exceed 3 pages.) 
  • Ateaching and learning philosophy statement provided by the nominee.  (Not to exceed 2 pages.)
  • Two letters of support from students, preferably one from a student currently enrolled at Illinois and one from an alumnus.  (See Attachment C for a sample solicitation letter.)  (Not to exceed 2 pages each.)

    NOTE: Letters from students should be solicited by the selection committee, not the nominee. The nominee may be asked to suggest some names and the department should add some names.

Back to Top

Selection

  • Each departmental committee to which nominations are made will select its final candidates to forward to the college.  (The college may establish a limit to the number of candidates forwarded by each departmental committee.)
  • A college committee, which should include at least one graduate student member, then will select from among the final candidates which nominations to forward to the campus selection committee.

Back to Top

Submission

Selected nominations from each college committee should be forwarded electronically to the Office of the Provost, tab-awards@uiuc.edu.  The campus selection process is overseen by the Teaching Advancement Board, and is advisory to the Provost.

Back to Top

Other Awards

Back to Top

Attachments

List of Past Winners

Back to Top

Programs & Courses / Teaching and Advancement Board / Awards for Excellence in Instruction / Campus Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Teaching