Teaching Award Descriptions and Nominations

The Ira H. Abrams Memorial Award for Distinguished Teaching for Faculty in the School of Arts and Sciences seeks to recognize teaching that is intellectually rigorous and exceptionally coherent and that leads to an informed understanding of a discipline. Recipients of the Ira Abrams Memorial Award are expected to embody high standards of integrity and fairness, to have a strong commitment to learning, and to be open to new ideas. As the School of Arts and Sciences' highest teaching honor, the Abrams Award recognizes faculty who have sustained records of teaching excellence. Only tenured professors are eligible for this award.

Up to two awards are made each year. Tenured members of the standing faculty are eligible.

This award is given to assistant professors who show unusual promise as teachers/scholars. Nominees may not be in their tenure-review year.

This award is presented annually to SAS standing faculty members who have made use of innovative teaching techniques in the service of outstanding teaching. Exceptional innovation here means using teaching strategies other than those typical in the department in order to enhance student learning. Award winners may have adapted teaching practices used elsewhere or may have pioneered entirely new approaches to teaching.

This award is presented to SAS standing faculty members for meaningful engagement of undergraduate students in research due to exceptional nurturing and facilitating by faculty.

This award is presented annually in recognition of the contribution to undergraduate education made by the School's adjunct professors and lecturers. The award honors teaching that is intellectually rigorous, exceptionally coherent, and stimulates active and interactive student engagement in the learning process. Candidates nominated must have taught in at least one undergraduate course in the School of Arts and Sciences during the current academic year and at least three courses overall.

Presented annually to graduate students in the arts and sciences in recognition of their contributions to undergraduate teaching. In general, the Dean's Award seeks to recognize teaching that is intellectually rigorous, exceptionally coherent, and that has considerable impact upon students. Recipients of the Dean's Award are expected to embody unusually high standards of integrity, fairness and commitment to learning.

Up to ten awards will be given. Awards may be for either teaching assistants or graduate students teaching their own courses. Candidates nominated must have taught in at least three undergraduate courses in the School of Arts Sciences, and the department must support the nomination. Each department or graduate group may nominate up to four students for this award. When more than one nomination is submitted by a department, though, the candidates must be rank-ordered. Graduate students should be proposed without their knowledge, if at all possible.

Exceptional teaching by SAS Standing Faculty within the College of Liberal and Professional Studies. Nominees must demonstrate the ability to engage non-traditional students and adult students actively in the learning process through teaching that is intellectually rigorous and innovative. Nominees must have taught at least three times in the College of Liberal and Professional Studies at the undergraduate or the graduate level.

Exceptional teaching by Adjunct Faculty and Lecturers within the College of Liberal and Professional Studies. Nominees must demonstrate the ability to engage non-traditional students and adult students actively in the learning process through teaching that is intellectually rigorous and innovative. Nominees must have taught at least three times in the College of Liberal and Professional Studies at the undergraduate or the graduate level.