The purpose of the Dr. Margaret J. Prouty Faculty Teaching Award is to recognize and reward faculty for the pursuit of excellence in teaching. A faculty member should be selected who has made a distinct difference in the intellectual lives of students through effective and creative instruction and/or course development.

Nominators are asked to address the following criteria from Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education (Chickering and Gamson).

The excellent teacher:

• communicates high expectations,
• encourages intellectual curiosity within and across disciplines,
• inspires students to do their best work,
• holds students accountable,
• engages students in the class,
• encourages cooperation among students,
• respects diverse talents and ways of learning,
• encourages faculty-student contact,
• uses variety in instruction.

The deadline for nominations is Friday, April 1. The nominees and award recipient will be announced after May 1.

Eligibility Criteria

All continuing, full-time faculty members teaching this entire academic year are eligible for nomination. Previous recipients may be nominated again five years after receiving the award.

Nominations

Students currently enrolled (either full- or part-time) and all faculty (full- or part-time) are invited to nominate a faculty member for this award.

Award

The recipient will receive a cash award based on endowment income. The amount of the award for 2010-2011 is $1,500.

Selection Guidelines

Selection is primarily based on activities during the previous and current academic year. The Selection Committee will judge these nominations on their merits and not solely by the number of nominations or letters of support submitted. It is important that the nominators address the criteria presented above.

Selection Committee

The Prouty Teaching Award recipient from the previous year, two members of the Faculty Development Committee who do not have colleagues nominated from their departments, one student selected by SAS, the Dean of CLAS and the Dean of UC shall comprise the Selection Committee. The Deans will co-chair the committee.

Selection Process

During the 2011 spring semester, the Prouty Award recipient will be selected by the following process:

1. See the list of eligible faculty and download the nomination form (doc).
2. An individual wishing to nominate a faculty member will complete a nomination form and return it to the Provost’s Office (311 Smith Curtis) by April 1. The nominator may gather letters of support from students, faculty, and staff. Since letters of support receive important consideration in the selection process, they should accompany the nomination form whenever possible.
3. The Selection Committee shall consider the purpose of the Prouty Award, the criteria, and relevant information provided in the sources listed below when identifying the recipient:
   • A complete, current vita provied by the nominee;
   • A brief letter (two-page maximum) addressing the criteria above provided by the nominee
   • Other materials submitted by the nominee which would be helpful to the committee in its review, including such things as: copies of recent student evaluations, course syllabi or other appropriate materials from classes taught during the previous and current acdemic year. All materials will be returned to the nominee.
   • The nominations form and letters of support provided by the Provost's office.

Recognition

The recipient will be recognized in the following ways:

1. The nominees and recipient will be announced at the faculty meeting on May 3.
2. The public relations staff will send a news release to the local media (including newspapers, radio stations, and local television stations).
3. A profile and picture of the recipient will appear in the appropriate Nebraska Wesleyan publications.
4. Recent winners of the Dr. Margaret J. Prouty Faculty Teaching Award will be listed under faculty awards in the official Nebraska Wesleyan University Course Catalog.

Please contact the Provost’s Office, (x2110) if you have questions.