Excellence in Teaching Committee

Revision Date: Standing Committee, last revision January, 2015; November 2018.

Purpose: To select the University’s Distinguished Teacher; to recommend policies, activities, and internal grants that enhance teaching; to evaluate requests for sabbatical and educational leave of absence.

Membership: Voting members appointed by the Faculty Senate shall include: (1) one tenured faculty member from each college; (2) one librarian rank III or higher if possible or rank II if necessary; and (3) the most recent recipient of the Distinguished Teacher Award. Of the tenured faculty members, at least one will be a Faculty Senator, but Faculty Senators should not hold a majority of the membership on the committee. The Distinguished Teacher Award recipient will serve for one year and all other members appointed by Faculty Senate will serve two-year terms staggered so one half of the elected faculty are replaced each year. The most recent recipients of the Distinguished Research Award and Creative Production Award will serve on the committee for one year, participating and voting only when applications for sabbatical and educational leaves are reviewed. Should a faculty member on the committee be nominated for the Distinguished Teacher Award, that faculty member shall be replaced by an alternate named by the Faculty Senate for the purpose of reviewing nominees for the teaching award. Should a faculty member on the committee apply for a sabbatical or educational leave of absence, that faculty member shall be replaced by an alternate named by the Faculty Senate for the purpose of evaluating applications for leaves of absence.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• To solicit and evaluate applications for the Distinguished Teacher Award according to the Distinguished Teacher Award Guidelines, and recommend a recipient to the Provost.
• To evaluate requests for sabbatical and educational leaves and make recommendations as specified in PAc-17 and PAc-28 respectively.

Officers: Chair and Chair-Elect to serve the following year to be selected from the membership of the committee. Chair-Elect shall serve as committee secretary.

Frequency of Meetings: Once a month or more frequently if needed. Must have a quorum of at least 2/3 of the committee members. Items to be voted upon require a simple majority of the voting members.

Reporting Channels: Recommendatory to the Provost. Recommended changes in policies and procedures shall be reported to the Faculty Senate.

Minutes and Proposals Copied to: The University Archives in the Library, Faculty Senate, Staff Congress, and the Office of the Provost.

Support Services: Office of the Provost and the Center for Leadership and Professional Development.

MEMBERSHIP

The procedure for resignation from a University Standing Committee is written notification to the University Standing Committee chairperson, Faculty Senate secretary, and the faculty member’s Department Chair. In the absence of a University Standing Committee Chairperson, the notification may be sent to the Faculty Senate secretary and the faculty member’s Department Chair.

• Julia Hypes, CBT, 2021-23
• Lola Aagaard, COE, 2022-24
• Tom Kiffmeyer, CCAHSS, 2021-23
• Patricia Harrelson, COS, 2022-24
• VACANT, Librarian, 2022-24
• VACANT Distinguished Teacher, 1-year term
• Robin Moore, Distinguished Creative Production, 1-year term
• Lisa Shannon, Distinguished Researcher, 1-year term
• Alison Hruby, Director, Center for Teaching and Learning, Filled

* All 1 year terms end Aug. 15 of each fiscal year.