Our program, General Education: The Human Community, is proud of the accomplishments and commitments of faculty who support the core curriculum of the university. This year the General Education Council is pleased to announce a call for multiple, new awards to recognize excellence within the General Education Program. Please consider nominating your colleagues for the following awards:
This award is open to tenured faculty, non-tenured faculty, adjunct faculty, and part-time faculty. To be eligible for the award, colleagues must have taught in GenEd at JMU for five or more years (not necessarily consecutive). They must also be teaching in GenEd at JMU during the Academic Year that they are nominated. (Renamed and revised Distinguished Teaching Award)
2. General Education Award for Lifetime Achievement
This award is open to tenured faculty, non-tenured faculty, adjunct faculty, and part-time faculty. To be eligible for the award, colleagues must have made substantial contributions to the General Education program for ten or more years. Contributions may be in teaching and/or service.
3. General Education Award for Early Career Excellence
This award is open to non-tenured faculty, part-time faculty, adjunct faculty, and/or graduate students who have taught at JMU for fewer than five years and who are currently teaching in the GenEd program. To be eligible for the award, colleagues must be teaching in GenEd at JMU during the Academic Year in which they are nominated.
4. General Education Innovation Award
The award is open to tenured faculty, non-tenured faculty, adjunct faculty, and part-time faculty. To be eligible for the award, colleagues must have taught in General Education at JMU for five or more years (not necessarily consecutive). The award is bestowed on faculty who take fresh approaches and apply novel high-impact teaching and learning practices, for example through large/small-class classes, study abroad, community-based engagement, integrative courses, and/or fostering a sense of community. Up to two General Education Innovation Awards per year may be bestowed.
Nominations will be accepted from students, self-nomination, colleagues, department heads, and area coordinators. Nominations should be sent to Dr. Meg Mulrooney, Senior Associate Vice Provost, gened@jmu.edu, with subject line GE Award Nomination. The nomination is a brief, informal email or letter that can either (a) identify a specific award from the list above, or (b) suggest that the nominee be considered for any award(s) for which the nominee may be eligible; formal letters of support are solicited later and included in the nominee’s submission materials. Nominations must be received by October 6, 2025.
Part 2. Nominee Support Package
Upon receipt of a nomination, the program staff will verify eligibility and invite each eligible nominee to submit supporting materials by October 27, 2025. Please limit the length of your materials (see guidelines below). One Nominee Support Package will be evaluated for any and all award categories (i.e., submit only one set of materials) and must include the following:
1. A cover letter identifying which award/s they are applying for and confirming that they meet the eligibility criteria for the award/s;
a. The cover letter should not consume more than one single-spaced page.
2. A teaching/service statement explaining how their specific teaching/service practices address the award criteria;
a. The teaching/service statement should not consume more than one single-spaced page.
3. One or two letters of support:
a. One required letter from the colleague’s unit (either AUH, PAC, or individual faculty colleague);
b. One optional letter from one of the colleagues discussed in (a) or from a student or alum.
c. Each letter should be no longer than one to two pages.
4. One item (optional) that encapsulates their approach to General Education and/or demonstrates their suitability for the award (may be a syllabus, an assessments/assignment, etc.)
a. The optional item should be no longer than five pages.
These supporting materials should be combined as a single file and submitted by email attachment to gened@jmu.edu. The deadline for the complete Nominee Support Package is October 27, 2025.
- Provost Award for Excellence in General Education Teaching
- General Education Award for Lifetime Achievement
- General Education Award for Early Career Excellence
- General Education Innovation Award
Award Eligibility:
1. Provost Award for Excellence in General Education TeachingThis award is open to tenured faculty, non-tenured faculty, adjunct faculty, and part-time faculty. To be eligible for the award, colleagues must have taught in GenEd at JMU for five or more years (not necessarily consecutive). They must also be teaching in GenEd at JMU during the Academic Year that they are nominated. (Renamed and revised Distinguished Teaching Award)
2. General Education Award for Lifetime Achievement
This award is open to tenured faculty, non-tenured faculty, adjunct faculty, and part-time faculty. To be eligible for the award, colleagues must have made substantial contributions to the General Education program for ten or more years. Contributions may be in teaching and/or service.
3. General Education Award for Early Career Excellence
This award is open to non-tenured faculty, part-time faculty, adjunct faculty, and/or graduate students who have taught at JMU for fewer than five years and who are currently teaching in the GenEd program. To be eligible for the award, colleagues must be teaching in GenEd at JMU during the Academic Year in which they are nominated.
4. General Education Innovation Award
The award is open to tenured faculty, non-tenured faculty, adjunct faculty, and part-time faculty. To be eligible for the award, colleagues must have taught in General Education at JMU for five or more years (not necessarily consecutive). The award is bestowed on faculty who take fresh approaches and apply novel high-impact teaching and learning practices, for example through large/small-class classes, study abroad, community-based engagement, integrative courses, and/or fostering a sense of community. Up to two General Education Innovation Awards per year may be bestowed.
Nomination Process:
Part 1. Nomination Email or LetterNominations will be accepted from students, self-nomination, colleagues, department heads, and area coordinators. Nominations should be sent to Dr. Meg Mulrooney, Senior Associate Vice Provost, gened@jmu.edu, with subject line GE Award Nomination. The nomination is a brief, informal email or letter that can either (a) identify a specific award from the list above, or (b) suggest that the nominee be considered for any award(s) for which the nominee may be eligible; formal letters of support are solicited later and included in the nominee’s submission materials. Nominations must be received by October 6, 2025.
Part 2. Nominee Support Package
Upon receipt of a nomination, the program staff will verify eligibility and invite each eligible nominee to submit supporting materials by October 27, 2025. Please limit the length of your materials (see guidelines below). One Nominee Support Package will be evaluated for any and all award categories (i.e., submit only one set of materials) and must include the following:
1. A cover letter identifying which award/s they are applying for and confirming that they meet the eligibility criteria for the award/s;
a. The cover letter should not consume more than one single-spaced page.
2. A teaching/service statement explaining how their specific teaching/service practices address the award criteria;
a. The teaching/service statement should not consume more than one single-spaced page.
3. One or two letters of support:
a. One required letter from the colleague’s unit (either AUH, PAC, or individual faculty colleague);
b. One optional letter from one of the colleagues discussed in (a) or from a student or alum.
c. Each letter should be no longer than one to two pages.
4. One item (optional) that encapsulates their approach to General Education and/or demonstrates their suitability for the award (may be a syllabus, an assessments/assignment, etc.)
a. The optional item should be no longer than five pages.
These supporting materials should be combined as a single file and submitted by email attachment to gened@jmu.edu. The deadline for the complete Nominee Support Package is October 27, 2025.
Award Selection Process:
The Award Selection Committee will evaluate all nominee materials (including support packages), observe finalists in the classroom over either the Fall or Spring semester, and/or conduct interviews with finalists (Lifetime Achievement Award), and select award recipients. The committee is chaired by Kethera Moore (Sociocultural & Wellness Area Coordinator) and John Scherpereel (American and Global Perspectives Coordinator) and composed of teaching faculty from across the program. The recipient of the Provost Award for Excellence in Gen Ed Teaching will receive a $1,500 honorarium and a physical award and be recognized at the annual Provost’s awards luncheon in the spring. All award recipients will be honored at a joint event in the Spring.General Education
