Announcing the Presidential Teacher Award
The Provost's office is pleased to announce the launch of a new teaching award for Adams State College faculty. The Presidential Teacher Award recognizes outstanding undergraduate teaching, advising, and mentoring. Each year, two winners will be selected by a student committee. The winners will carry the designation of Presidential Teacher for the following academic year.
The Award
Each Presidential Teacher will receive $1500 to support his or her professional development. Winners will also be given the opportunity to teach a special Presidential Teacher Course during the next academic year. That course can be on any subject the award winner chooses and it need not go through the normal course approval process. The Provost's office will work with the winner's departments to help find ways to allow them to replace the course that will be lost when the award winner is teaching the PT course. If a faculty member is on a one year contract, winning the award will not guarantee employment for the following year. However, if the winner were not continuing on the faculty, he or she would still receive the professional development portion of the award.
Eligibility
All full-time faculty are eligible for the award. Faculty who are teaching part-time, adjuncts, or those on transitional retirement are not eligible.
The Selection Process
In September of each year, based on recommendations from the Chairs, the Provost will convene a Presidential Teacher Selection Committee composed of undergraduate students from across the disciplines. This committee will be responsible for the selection of that year's Presidential Teachers.
Prior to the beginning of registration for Spring semester, the Provost will announce the nomination process to all undergraduate students. All students will have the opportunity to nominate a professor. There will also be a mechanism whereby faculty members can nominate their colleagues for the award.
The student committee will review the nominations and announce the finalists as soon as school begins in January (potential finalists will be contacted in advance to make sure they are willing and able to accept the award). Finalists will then be asked to prepare a brief description of the Presidential Teacher course they would be teaching if they win.
During Spring semester, the selection committee will visit two classes of each finalists to observe their teaching. The committee will also interview each candidate and discuss their teaching philosophy, classroom practices, non-classroom advising and mentoring activities, and the Presidential Teacher course the finalist is proposing. The Selection Committee will then deliberate and make a final selection of the two winners.
The Provost will announce the winners at the annual Student Recognition banquet. The Provost (or President) will host a reception for the winners prior to graduation.
