Faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences (tenure-line and professors of practice) may be nominated for these Teaching Awards.
Nomination Materials
The nominator should gather the materials below into a single .pdf which should be submitted electronically to casdeansoffice@unl.edu.
1. Completed nomination form
All nominees will automatically be considered for all awards for which they are eligible. Any faculty member, including department chairs and emeriti, may nominate eligible faculty for teaching awards. Regardless of who makes the nomination, the nominee’s department chair must sign the form indicating approval of the nomination.
2. Nomination letter(s)
The nominator should address the individual's success in teaching. It is especially helpful to reference pedagogical materials developed by the nominee, student evaluations in the context of departmental norms, and classroom visits or other peer-review activities (maximum 3 pages).
- One additional letter of support is allowed but not required (maximum 2 pages).
- Note that candidates for the Sorensen Award for Distinguished Teaching in the Humanities must be nominated by their department chair.
3. Curriculum Vitae with special focus on teaching
CV must include a list of all courses taught in the last three years and highlight published works related to teaching, past teaching awards and recognition, and professional development workshops or symposia attended focused on teaching (maximum 5 pages).
4. Self-reflection on teaching
The nominee should provide a brief description of his/her teaching philosophy, work with curricular development (courses developed, modified, etc.), and engagement in department- or campus-level discussion on pedagogy. In addition, the nominee should discuss how he/she evaluated student learning, and how he/she modified pedagogy in response to student learning or other feedback. (maximum 3 pages)
5. Syllabi
The nominee should provide the most recent syllabus from two different courses taught by the nominee at UNL. These syllabi should be chosen to illustrate information provided in the self-reflection on teaching.
Teaching Awards Available
Annis Chaikin Sorensen Award
In recognition of outstanding teaching in the humanities
Award: $3000
Eligibility: Full-time faculty in the Humanities
The Annis Chaikin Sorensen Award is presented each year to recognize an individual for his/her outstanding teaching in the humanities. The humanities disciplines, as defined by the Academic Senate, include art, classics, communication studies, English, history, modern languages and literatures, journalism, libraries, music, philosophy, theatre arts, ROTC, museum, and members of the faculty in the athletic department and all units in the College of Architecture. From the applications received by the College one nominee is forwarded to Academic Affairs. Academic Affairs selects one awardee from among all nominations received.
College Distinguished Teaching Award
In recognition of consistent excellence in teaching
Award: $1000
Eligibility: All faculty
These awards honor faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences with a record of consistently excellent teaching. Previous recipients may be nominated after a six-year period. Although these awards are made by Academic Affairs, awardees are nominated by the College. Normally six awards are given each year; each awardee receives $1000.
Hazel R. McClymont Distinguished Teaching Fellow Award
Honoring exemplary teaching
Award: $5,000
Eligibility: Any full-time faculty in the college
Funded by a generous gift from Hazel R. McClymont, this Award honors exemplary teaching in the College of Arts and Sciences and carries a $5,000 award for the recipient. Any full-time faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences is eligible to receive the McClymont Award. The College typically names one recipient each year.
In keeping with the mission and goals of the College of Arts and Sciences, McClymont Teaching Fellow Award recipients will have a demonstrated and sustained record in one or more of the following criteria:
- Promoting students’ critical and creative thinking, active learning, and reflection—exposing students to a wide range of knowledge and to the processes by which new knowledge is acquired.
- Teaching in a manner that enables students to become active and continuous learners and tolerant and responsible members of a global society.
- Holding high standards for student performance and demonstrating effective teaching practices that help all students to meet these standards.
- Supporting a community of teacher-scholars (at UNL or the state/region) in the areas of student learning, course design, assessment, and/or instructional practices.
Nomination files will remain eligible for consideration for three consecutive years (the nominee has the option to update the file each year). At the end of three years, a one-year waiting period is required before the faculty member is eligible to be nominated again.