Award Guidelines

Regional Campus Outstanding Tenure-Track Professor Award

AWARD DEADLINE FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2025

The Regional Campus Outstanding Professor Award honors faculty at regional campuses who have demonstrated excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service over the last three years.

The Award Selection Committee, designated by the Executive Dean (Regional Campuses) in consultation with the campus deans is composed of five regional campus RHE Tenure Track faculty members, with one from each campus. Additionally, one non-voting Tenure Track faculty member from RHE shall be appointed by the RHE Faculty Development Committee. Committee composition may also be dependent on ensuring faculty diversity and representation across various disciplines. Each committee member will serve a two-year term. The committee may recommend up to two faculty members for the award annually. However, the committee may choose not to recommend anyone if no nominees meet the award standards. 

The recipient of the award carries the designation Outstanding Professor, Regional Campuses, for one year and receives a plaque of distinction as well as recognition through external media and internal channels. The awardees are not eligible for nomination for the award again for five years after the previous selection.

Nomination, Criteria, and Timelines

Nominations for the Regional Campus Outstanding Tenure Track Professor Award are generated at each of the regional campuses. Each campus may make any number of nominations per year. A nominee must be a full-time, RHE Tenure Track faculty member who has served at the nominating campus for a minimum of three years. In reviewing nominees, the committee will consider evidence of the following:

• Excellence in teaching effectiveness as acknowledged by peers and students coupled with self-evaluation
• Design and implementation of innovative approaches to teaching including the use of technology across the RHE system and development of new courses or programs, especially modification of courses to incorporate current classroom technologies
• Interdisciplinary teaching including outside the individual’s primary area, including University College classes
• Academic Advising and/or supervision of independent study, laboratory, student organizations, field work, student activities, and programs related to an individual’s academic discipline
• Incorporation of active learning approaches, such as service learning, internships, and collaborative group projects into course work
• Leadership in campus, university, and professional organizations
• Consistent record of quality scholarship in the discipline
• Civic and community activities directly germane to the educational objectives of the regional campus.

Each regional campus will conduct a nomination and selection process. The campus dean shall send out a call to their respective faculty for nominations. Nominations shall be submitted to the campus dean who will then appoint a faculty committee made up of at least three tenured faculty to review nominations and make the recommendation for final campus nominees to the dean. The dean will submit final nominations to the Associate Vice Provost of Regional Higher Education and Partnerships of RHE. Nominees who wish to be considered by the Award Selection Committee must submit a narrative that does not exceed five pages and a curriculum vitae or digital measures report that emphasizes the past three years of accomplishments. The narrative must observe standard margins of one inch with double spacing. Materials for the campus nominees, along with a letter of recommendation from the Campus Nominating Committee, must be sent by the campus Dean and received by the Office of Regional Higher Education by March 21 of each year. The Award Selection Committee will meet in mid-Spring Semester, and awards will be announced before late Spring Semester and will be presented at an appropriate occasion.

Schedule:

Announcements Soliciting Nominations -- Fall Semester

Submission of all Selected Candidate Information to RHE Office -- March 21

Selection by Award Selection Committee and Announcement of Awards(s) -- before late Spring Semester

Regional Campus Outstanding Instructional Faculty Award

AWARD DEADLINE FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2025

The Regional Campus Outstanding Lecturer Award honors faculty at regional campuses who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and have an outstanding record of service to the campus and university, as demonstrated over the last three years.

The Award Selection Committee, designated by the Executive Dean (Regional Campuses) in consultation with the campus deans, is composed of five regional campus RHE Instructional Faculty members, with one elected by each campus. Additionally, one nonvoting Instructional Faculty member from RHE shall be appointed by the RHE Faculty Development Committee. Committee composition may also be dependent on ensuring faculty diversity and representation across various disciplines. Each committee member will serve a two-year term. The committee may recommend up to two faculty members for the award annually. However, the committee may choose not to recommend anyone if no nominees meet the award standards.

The recipient of the award carries the designation Outstanding Lecturer, Regional Campuses, for one year and receives a plaque of distinction as well as recognition through external media and internal channels. The awardees are not eligible for nomination for the award again for five years after the previous selection.

Nomination, Criteria, and Timelines

Nominations for the Regional Campus Outstanding Instructional Faculty Award are generated at each of the regional campuses. Each campus may make any number of nominations per year. A nominee must be an RHE Instructional Faculty member (0.80 – 1.0 FTE) who has served at the nominating campus for a minimum of three years. In reviewing nominees, the committee will consider evidence of the following:

• Excellence in teaching effectiveness as acknowledged by peers and students coupled with self-evaluation
• Design and implementation of innovative approaches to teaching including the use of technology across the RHE system and development of new courses or programs, especially modification of courses to incorporate current classroom technologies
• Interdisciplinary teaching including outside the individual’s primary area, including University College classes
• Academic Advising and/or supervision of independent study, laboratory, student organizations, field work, student activities, and programs related to an individual’s academic discipline
• Incorporation of active learning approaches, such as service learning, internships, and collaborative group projects into course work
• Leadership in campus, university, and professional organizations
• Civic and community activities directly germane to the educational objectives
• Consistent record of current professional development/continuing education activities including attendance and/or presenting at discipline-specific conferences.

While the Faculty Handbook clearly states that there is no expectation for research or creative activity for RHE Instructional Faculty, the Award Selection Committee will consider research and creative activity as evidence of professional development. Such optional criteria for outstanding scholarly activity could include publications, research projects and grants, papers or presentations, creative or performance activities related to one’s discipline, conference attendance, works in progress, and submissions under review.

Each regional campus will conduct a nomination and selection process. The campus dean shall send out a call to their respective faculty for nominations. Nominations shall be submitted to the campus dean who will then appoint a faculty committee made up of at least three instructional faculty to review nominations and make the recommendation for final campus nominees to the dean. The dean will submit final nominations to the Associate Vice Provost of Regional Higher Education and Partnerships of RHE. Nominees who wish to be considered by the Award Selection Committee must submit a narrative that does not exceed five pages and a curriculum vitae or digital measures report that emphasizes the past three years of accomplishments. The narrative must observe standard margins of one inch with double spacing. Materials for the campus nominees, along with a letter of recommendation from the Campus Nominating Committee, must be sent by the campus Dean and received by the Office of Regional Higher Education by March 21 of each year. The Award Selection Committee will meet in mid-Spring Semester, and awards will be announced before late Spring Semester and will be presented at an appropriate occasion.

Schedule:

Announcements Soliciting Nominations -- Fall Semester

Submission of all Selected Candidate Information to RHE Office -- March 21

Selection by Award Selection Committee and Announcement of Awards(s) -- before late Spring Semester