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General Education Distinguished Teacher Award

  

The General Education Program is proud of the accomplishments and commitments of the faculty who support the core curriculum of the university. Each year, in recognition of superlative achievement in the area of teaching, the Program gives a Distinguished Teacher Award to a General Education faculty member. The recipient of this award will  receive a $1,500 honorarium.  In permanent recognition, the recipient’s name will be added to a plaque displayed in the University Studies Office.  The recipient will be invited to give the keynote address at the General Education Student Conference during Family Weekend of the following academic year.

                                                                                                            Past Winners

Eligible Candidates will meet the following criteria:

  • Teach at least one course in the General Education Program in the 2010-2011 academic year.  Full-time and adjunct faculty are eligible.
  • Teach undergraduate students at JMU in the 2011-2012 academic year.
  • Employed at JMU for at least five years. For adjunct faculty, this means teaching at least one course per year for the past five years.

Nominations for the General Education Distinguished Teaching Award will be accepted from students, colleagues, department heads, and Cluster Coordinators. 

  • Nominations must be received by September 16, 2011
  • Nominations should be sent to the Dean of University Studies in the form of a letter (maximum 1000 words) addressing the candidate’s abilities as a teacher, particularly in light of the interdisciplinary and interconnected nature of General Education courses.  The letter should address the quality of the nominees teaching ability based on their impact on student learning and their ability to help students make interdisciplinary connections.

 

Upon receipt of a letter of nomination, the dean’s office will invite each nominee to submit electronic copies of the following:  vita; letter of support from his or her department head or director; teaching statement that explains how specific teaching practices support cluster learning outcomes, facilitate student learning, and promote interdisciplinary connections; and relevant supporting materials from recent semesters (including but not limited to items such as syllabi, evaluations, letters, etc.). Electronic copies can be emailed to gened@jmu.edu.  If materials are in hard copy form, two copies must be submitted. The deadline for the materials is October 13, 2011.  The Award Selection Committee will evaluate all materials, observe finalists in the classroom, and select the award recipient.

 

The Award Selection Committee will be composed of five General Education faculty members and one student.  The Dean of University Studies will attend the first meeting to present the charge.  The Committee has the option to select a chair or co-chairs from its membership.

Faculty Membership: One General Education faculty member from each of the five clusters. 

Student Membership: One undergraduate student to be named by the SGA.

 

Selection/Judging Process:

The Award Selection Committee will examine the letters of nomination and nominees’ supporting materials for evidence of the nominees’ impact on student learning and their ability to help students make interdisciplinary connections and will observe finalists in the classroom.  The Committee will make its recommendation to the Dean of University Studies by December 9, 2011.  The Dean will notify the award recipient.