Provost's Medal For Excellence in Instruction

The Provost's Medal for Excellence in Instruction is presented each spring to recognize sustained excellence in academic teaching and instruction by faculty at Arkansas State University.  Nominations should be based on a continuous record of teaching and instructional excellence, and consistent recognition by peers and students.  

The Provost's Medal award will consist of a $5000 check and a medal to be worn at the spring commencement ceremony.

The award will be presented at the annual Faculty Honors Convocation in April.

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for this award, a candidate must hold a full-time tenured faculty position at the rank of associate or full professor and have been at Arkansas State University for at least 5 years. The teaching record that forms the basis for the nomination must only include courses taught while a member of our university.  Nominees will be evaluated on the quality of teaching over their academic career, and this evaluation will be based on the records and supporting materials the faculty members are asked to supply.

A faculty member is only eligible for this award once in their career.

NOMINATION PROCEDURE

Nominations may be submitted by any student or member of the faculty at the University; however, because only one nominee from each department is accepted into the pool, department chairs will have the final determination as to which faculty member from their department will be nominated each year. Each chair may submit one nomination to their dean no later than the deadline, and each dean may choose one nominee from among those to submit to the Faculty Achievement Awards Committee (FAAC). 

SELECTION

The Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor will facilitate the selection process, which will consist of two levels of review:

1. FAAC will meet to discuss the nominations and prepare a report of the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate and send an ordered ranking forward to the provost for the next step in the selection process. All discussions will be confidential.
2. The provost will make the final award selection.  Importantly, the decision may be made to not make an award if it is determined that none of the nominees has provided evidence of sufficient meritorious achievement in teaching.

SUBMISSION PROCESS

Applicant must submit a teaching portfolio reflective of their teaching at Arkansas State University.

Nominee submission

1. A personal statement (maximum length: 3 pages or 750 words) prepared by the nominee explaining their teaching philosophy, and any/or all the following as applicable: achievements, innovative teaching methodology, and evidence of professional growth as a teacher through formal or informal professional development activities.
2. A list of courses taught during the spring, summer, and fall semesters for the last five years.
3. A copy of the syllabus for each unique course taught over the last five years.
4. A summary of student evaluations for each course taught during the preceding two years. Please report the student evaluations using the format below.

Course Name and Number:
Evaluation Question     1. 2. 3.	Number of Responses with the Given Rating (5,4,3,2,1) [ex. 5 (20) 4 (5) 3 (6) 2 (0) 1 (0)]	Response Rate [ex. 95%]	Mean Score for this Course for this Question	College Mean score for this Question	College Standard Deviation for this Question

5. A collection of up to twelve representative student comments from course evaluations.
6. Optional: copies of instructor’s comments on student’s works, written statements of support from former students, and other items considered relevant in addressing the award criteria.
7. A copy of the nominee's complete curriculum vitae.
8. No more than four (4) letters from knowledgeable peers that can speak to the quality of the teaching and instructional activities of the nominee; the strongest letters are those from colleagues in the field, but external to the College.  
   1. Note: Department Chair's and Dean's letters of support will be submitted by the college and do not have to be uploaded here.

College Review and Finalist Submission

1. The Department Chair will submit one nomination to their dean no later than the deadline.
2. The Dean will submit one nominee from among those to submit to the Faculty Achievement Awards Committee for the Provost’s Medal for Teaching and Instructional Activities.
   1. The nomination letter must indicate the quality and significance of the nominee’s teaching and instructional activity, e.g., the nominee’s contribution to and impact upon their students, the institution and discipline.
   2. The letter should indicate an ongoing commitment to excellence in teaching and instruction.