Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching by Instructional Staff
The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, in fulfillment of its mission, is devoted to excellence in undergraduate teaching. The purpose of the award program is to reward and honor the college's best specialized faculty. Up to six awards may be made annually. The LAS Awards Committee will review and rank the applications received. Final recipient recommendation will be approved by the dean of the college. Departments are encouraged to submit one nomination.
Criteria
Nominations will be evaluated in terms of achievement according to the following established criteria:
- Sustained excellence in undergraduate teaching.
- Positive impact on undergraduate student learning.
- Innovative approaches to undergraduate teaching.
- Other contributions to improve undergraduate 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.
Award
An award of $1,000 is placed in a discretionary account to support the recipient's teaching and/or research, an one-time increment of $1,000 added to their annual salary base, and a commemorative plaque which is presented at the LAS Recognition of Excellence.
Eligibility
The eligibility requirements for this award and the Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching-Specialized Faculty are the same. Further, a staff member who receives any LAS college award will not be eligible for a second college teaching award during the next 10-year period, although such a person may be nominated again through this process for the Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching during that 10-year period, if he/she remains eligible for that award.
Nomination
The nomination for this award and the Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching are one and the same. The criteria and procedures are included in the Provost's Guidelines on Awards for Excellence in Instruction, Advising, and Research. In addition to the campus procedures, all materials must be typed in 12 point, Times New Roman font, single-spaced.
Each academic staff member selected as a winner of the LAS Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching by Instructional Staff will be nominated for the Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, if eligible. In cases in which an instructional staff member is not eligible in a given year for a college award but is eligible for a campus award, the strongest nominations as determined by the Awards Committee will be forwarded. A pdf of the nomination packet should be emailed to lasdean@illinois.edu. If needed, a paper copy can be sent to: LAS AWARDS COMMITTEE, 2090 Lincoln Hall MC-448.
The deadlines for submission to the department and to the college correspond to those for the campus awards:
| Date | Deadlines |
|---|---|
| Mid-November, 2024 | Recommended deadline for nominations to departmental selection committee. |
| January 5, 2025, 5pm | Deadline for nominations from departments to the college. |
| February 1, 2025 | Deadline for college nominations to the campus. |