Faculty Awards and Recognition

East Tennessee State University's mission includes the broad triad of teaching, research, and service. Each year the University accords special recognition - through a Distinguished Faculty Award - for three distinguished faculty members whose academic careers represent respectively distinctive and exemplary achievement in each of those areas of its mission.

Selection and Presentation Process

Each year, ETSU will recognize outstanding faculty achievement with three awards, one each for teaching, research/scholarship/creative activity, and service. Each college can nominate one candidate for each award from the college’s faculty. Criteria for each award as well as materials required for the nomination packets are outlined. These awards are meant to recognize excellence in teaching, research/scholarship/creative activity, and service while employed at ETSU. While each award is intended to highlight excellence in a single area, the nominees are expected to demonstrate contributions in the areas that are not directly related to their award nomination via a review of the faculty member’s curriculum vitae and comments from the dean of the college.

An outstanding nominee is to be chosen for superior achievement in teaching, research/scholarship/ creative activity, or service cited in the nomination statements submitted. The nomination statement provided by the dean of the college should clearly indicate how the nominee has demonstrated outstanding achievement in the area of teaching, research/scholarship/creative activity, or service. The statement should also describe the faculty member's accomplishments in other areas of responsibility. 

College Nominations

Colleges should adopt specific policies and procedures for submitting nominations. Colleges may consider renominating worthy candidates, even if they were not previously chosen by the University Selection Committee. However, the college nominations for each award must not have won the university award for which they are being nominated.

Packets submitted to the Office of the Provost should include only material requested under the subheading Award Criteria. Examples of materials that are non-essential and should be excluded include:

• Conference program booklets;
• Committee meeting announcements, agendas, minutes, etc.;
• Thank you letters for the nominee; and
• Copies of anything equally accounted for in a vitae.

College Selection Committee

Each college dean will select faculty members from their college or designate an appropriate existing committee to serve on a College Selection Committee for their college. 

College Selection Committees shall seek to identify outstanding nominees within their college based on the nomination materials submitted for each award. The Policy on Definition of Faculty and Types of Faculty Appointments can help nominators determine if an individual is eligible for nomination. Each College Selection Committee will submit their outstanding nominees for each category with a composite supporting statement and nomination materials to the Office of the Provost. The Office of the Provost will provide these nomination materials to a campus-wide ad hoc University Selection Committee that is identified through the Provost’s office. Members of the College Selection Committee may not serve on the University Selection Committee.

University Selection Committee

This University Selection Committee, chosen by the Provost in consultation with the deans, will have appropriate representation from the colleges. The task of the University Selection Committee is to choose from the outstanding nominees, the faculty member to receive each of the three faculty awards. This committee will also submit a composite supporting statement for each nominee, along with the nomination materials.

Nomination statements will be kept strictly confidential, and the name of the person chosen to receive each award will be maintained in strict confidence until the awards are presented. 

Presentation of University Awards

Awards shall be presented by the Provost at the Annual Faculty Convocation. Each award shall consist of an appropriately inscribed award, a medallion, and a monetary honorarium of no less than seven thousand five hundred dollars ($7,500). A faculty member may receive a particular award (teaching, research, or service) only once, but may receive each of the three awards.

Award Criteria

Faculty Teaching Award Criteria

The Faculty Teaching Award will be given for consistently superior teaching accomplishments. The teaching considered may be either undergraduate, graduate, or both. Only teaching that applies to ETSU students, regardless of the teaching venue or modality, will be considered in making this award. The nominee must be a full-time faculty member as defined in the Policy on Definition of Faculty and Types of Faculty Appointments and have completed at least three (3) full years in service at ETSU. Faculty who have achieved emeritus status no more than one year prior to the nomination are also eligible. 

The nomination packet should be created by the faculty member with the endorsement of the college committee and the dean added. The packet must include the documents listed below. 

• Nomination form from the College Selection Committee
• Reflection written by the faculty nominated (limited to 3-5, single spaced pages in 12-pt font with 1 inch margins) that addresses:
  • Teaching Excellence (Effective communication, engagement, clarity, and enthusiasm in teaching)
  • Impact on Students (Mentorship, support, and student success)
  • Innovative Teaching Methods (Use of technology, active learning, and high-impact teaching practices)
  • Commitment to Students (Actively foster a supportive learning environment for all students)
  • Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (Engagement in contributions to the scholarship of teaching and learning, sharing knowledge widely)
  • Contributions to the Academic Community (Leadership in advancing teaching excellence within the university and broader community)
• Letters of support written by students (limited to no more than 3 letters)
• Letter of support written by the dean (limited to 1 page)
• Sample of Student Assessment Instruction (limited to no more than 3 courses)
• Curriculum Vitae

Faculty Research/Scholarship/Creative Activity Award Criteria

The Faculty Research Award will be given for superior research/scholarship/creative accomplishments. The work for which the award is given must result in publication(s) or in comparable accomplishment(s) in the arts and will only be considered if it was accomplished while serving as a faculty member at ETSU. The nominee must be a full-time faculty member as defined in the Policy on Definition of Faculty and Types of Faculty Appointments and have completed at least three (3) full years in service at ETSU.  Faculty who have achieved emeritus status no more than one year prior to the nomination are also eligible. 

The nomination packet must include the documents listed below. 

• Nomination form from the College Selection Committee
• Reflection written by the faculty nominated (limited to 3-5, single spaced pages in 12-pt font with 1 inch margins) that addresses:
  • Research Excellence & Productivity (Publication quality, quantity, and consistency)
  • Research Impact & Citations (Influence of research on the field and society)
  • Innovation & Originality (Innovative and notable research with a transformative impact)
  • Grant Funding & Research Support (Securing competitive funding, research sustainability)
  • Collaboration & Interdisciplinary Work (Partnerships, cross-disciplinary research)
  • Mentorship & Student Research Training (Supervision of graduate students, postdocs, and research training)
  • Recognition & Awards (Honors, invited talks, leadership roles)
  • Broader Societal Impact & Public Engagement (Policy influence, industry collaboration, outreach)
• Letter of support written by the dean (limited to 1 page)
• Sample of published research (limited to no more than 3 publications)
• Curriculum Vitae

Faculty Service Award Criteria

The Faculty Service Award will be given for distinguished service accomplishments achieved during a substantial period prior to the award. The service considered may have been provided to a department, the college, the institution, professional organizations, community organizations, the general public, or a combination of these. Service for which the faculty member received compensation will not be considered in making this award. (Expenses and modest honorarium are not considered compensation.) Only service performed while employed at ETSU will be considered in making this award. The nominee must be a full-time faculty member as defined in the Policy on Definition of Faculty and Types of Faculty Appointments and have completed at least three (3) full years in service at ETSU. Faculty who have achieved emeritus status no more than one year prior to the nomination are also eligible.

The nomination packet must include the documents listed below. 

• Nomination form written by the College Selection Committee
• Reflection written by the faculty nominated (limited to 3-5, single spaced pages in 12-pt font with 1 inch margins) that addresses:
  • Impact of Service (Influence of service on university, discipline, community)
  • Sustained Commitment (Service quality, quantity, and consistency)
  • Breadth of Service (Impact of service on the groups)
  • Leadership & Initiative (Impact of leadership, program development, policies, activities)
  • Collaboration & Influence (Partnerships, cross-disciplinary work, motivation)
  • Recognition & Awards (Honors, invited talks, roles)
• Letter of support written by the dean (limited to 1 page)
• Testimonial from recipients of nominee’s service (limited to no more than 3 testimonials)
• Curriculum Vita

Faculty Awards Nomination Form

(see the Office of the Dean for a copy of this form)

Distinguished Faculty Awards are given in recognition of faculty who have made outstanding contributions in teaching, research/scholarship/creative activity, and service. This nomination form should clearly indicate how commitment to achievement in teaching, research/ scholarship/creative activity, or service has been demonstrated. The supporting statement in the nomination form should describe other areas of faculty involvement in which exemplary performance is evident.

The selection of an outstanding nominee is based on a composite view of the quality of the nominee's work. Nominations without supporting materials or with nomination materials other than those listed in the Award Criteria section will not be considered. Statements should be concise and descriptive. 

Please ask the Dean to and the college selection committee to provide a letter of support, and the faculty member can submit the documents requested for the nomination packet to the Office of the Provost by the stated deadline. 

Nominee:

College:

Award for which the faculty member is nominated. 

__________    Teaching                      

__________    Research/Scholarship/Creative Activity                    

__________    Service

Consult the criteria for each award to determine the information to be provided regarding the nominee's accomplishments. Use a separate sheet(s) for the College Selection Committee supporting statement. Comment on achievements demonstrated in the area of the award for which the faculty member is nominated as well as other areas of faculty responsibility. 

________________________________        ________________________________

Signature of Nominated Faculty                     Printed Name of Nominated Faculty

By providing my signature and submitting my nomination packet to the University Selection Committee, I acknowledge that I have not previously received the award for which I am submitting my application material.

Aiming to recognize the achievement of faculty members recently tenured and promoted, East Tennessee State University began a new tradition with the Tenure and Promotion Coin Ceremony. 

Faculty Convocation is a special event on campus when we open the academic year. This time provides a chance for the campus academic community to welcome new faculty, celebrate those faculty who achieved Emeritus status, and recognize the achievements of our faculty. For the latest updates and details regarding Faculty Convocation, please visit our Faculty Convocation Information Page.

The Great Lecture Series is a special chance to celebrate and showcase faculty who achieved the rank of professor in the most recent tenure and promotion cycle. Faculty are encouraged to invite family, colleagues, and mentors to celebrate this accomplishment while learning about their path to the professorship. 

ETSU researchers and innovators blaze new trails by challenging the status quo. They go where others have not gone. Our students, staff, and faculty blaze trails because doing so is a calling. This challenging, mission-driven trailblazing improves the quality of life in our region and beyond.

This podcast celebrates the faculty of East Tennessee State University by amplifying their stories. Faculty guests discuss why they are passionate about teaching and share what impact they hope their students will make on the world. The podcast is hosted by Dr. Kimberly D. McCorkle, ETSU Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.