The Regents' Award for Superior Teaching was established on June 6, 1963 with the first awards presented in the spring of 1964. Originally, the award was given to three individuals each year. In 1965, the policy was amended to provide a maximum of five and a minimum of three awards each year. In 1978, the awards were expanded to include superior accomplishment in any of the following - Teaching; Research and Creative Activity; and Professional and University Service.
The Regents’ Award is an annual University-funded award that is given to a faculty member whose accomplishments in at least one of the three areas are exceptional and clearly exceed normal expectations.
Superior Teaching
Superior Research and Creative/Scholarly Activity
CRITERIA
A nominee must have contributed significantly to the mission of the department/unit in the award area (teaching, research and creative/scholarly activity, service/outreach) being recognized and must have fulfilled obligations and performed well in the other areas as well.
ELIGIBILITY
Nominees must be full-time, regular or non-regular faculty members. The faculty member must have been a University of Oklahoma employee during the period for which the outstanding contributions are being recognized; previous accomplishments at other institutions, if applicable, may be used in support of a continued outstanding performance in the area of the specific award. A recipient of an award in one area (teaching, research and creative/scholarly activity, service/outreach) is ineligible for the same Regents’ Award during the subsequent five-year period, but is immediately eligible for a Regents’ Award in a different area.
i. Teaching
The educational training of students is at the core of the university mission. This training is accomplished through varied educational strategies and environments, including but not limited to in-class activities, hands-on student research training and mentorship, clinical teaching and mentorship, innovative course development (in-class and on-line), pedagogy improvements, and distance learning. Success of these activities must be demonstrated by measurable positive outcomes for students.
The nominator shall provide an informed commentary on the impact of the nominee's exceptional accomplishments, including classroom teaching, engagement with and commitment to students, willingness to keep teaching material up to date with state of the art knowledge, willingness to support broader departmental teaching mission, positive feedback from students via STEs and other channels and from peers via observation, engagement in faculty development activities related to pedagogy, new course development, service learning or service learning components, student advising and mentorship, formal and informal, supervision of graduate students.
ii. Research and Creative/Scholarly Activity
A clear expectation for a research-intensive university is the creation and dissemination of new knowledge and forms of creative activity. The creation of new knowledge derives from scholarly activities that drive innovation, with such activities supported by funding mechanisms appropriate to the discipline. Evidence of the creation of such new knowledge is established through impactful outcomes disseminated in different peer-reviewed formats that include publication of research manuscripts and books, performances and exhibits, and the effective mentorship and graduation of students and/or clinical residents and fellows. The impact of the nominee's research and creative/scholarly activities on the field of study must be substantiated by documentation appropriate to the discipline, and by letters of support from informed leaders in the nominee's field of study. For the Health Sciences Center, attention will be given to the ways in which a nominee may have an impact through team science and interdisciplinary/interprofessional scholarship.
iii. University/Professional Service and Public Outreach
The university is, in the broadest sense, an integral part of the community (intellectual and physical) in which it resides. A faculty member's contributions to the general community include professional service that may be specific to a discipline (e.g., clinical practice and excellence in outcomes such as quality and patient experience, service as journal editor, conference organizer, or in leadership positions in professional organizations) as well as impactful activities that benefit university-community interactions (e.g., teacher training and service learning projects). Such activities enhance achievements in teaching and research. Successful nominees shall have demonstrated exceptional performance in activities that enhance the university's role and standing in the community.
NOMINATION PROCEDURES
Initiation. The Senior Vice President and Provosts will solicit recommendations for the awards by September 15 of each year and announce appropriate schedules for processing the nominations. Furthermore, the solicitations will be posted on the appropriate campus website, for access by nominators and faculty on all campuses.
Recommendations. Nominations may derive from department chairs or unit directors, elected members of departmental/unit Committee A, a departments/unit's approved nomination committee, Center leaders, or a group of faculty who are familiar with the nominee's qualifications for the award. Only one nomination by an academic unit or other nominating group of faculty is allowed for each of the Regents’ Awards. The nominating entity will be responsible for assembling the nomination packets including supporting documentation.
Nominations shall be forwarded to the respective dean for review and endorsement. An optional letter from the dean, if included, will focus on evaluatory comments regarding the quality and significance of the nominee's impact on the broader OU mission. The dean's letter will not count towards the 25-page limit outlined below. The dean will forward the nomination materials to the respective Senior Vice President and Provost by November 20.
SELECTION PROCEDURE
The University Council on Faculty Awards and Honors shall consider only the formal nominations. The Council may seek additional data about the nominees from supplemental sources, as appropriate.
The Council shall recommend to the Senior Vice President and Provosts, as many as nine faculty members for the awards, with the understanding the majority of the awards will be given for Superior Teaching in the broadest sense as defined by the selection criteria. The Council also shall transmit all substantiating materials pertaining to all nominees. The Senior Vice President and Provosts will review the nomination materials and the Council’s recommendations, and will forward their recommendations, along with all substantiating materials, to the President, by February 1. The President will make recommendations to the Board of Regents.
The final selection of the recipients will be made by the Board of Regents.
ANNOUNCEMENT
The recipients of the Regents’ Award for Superior Teaching, Regents’ Award for Superior Research and Creative/Scholarly Activity, and Regents’ Award for Superior Professional and University Service and Public Outreach will be announced by the Board of Regents for Norman Campus at the annual Faculty Award Ceremony and for the Health Sciences Center at the Spring General Faculty Meeting.
PERQUISITES
Each award will consist of affixing the recipient's name to a permanent plaque in a prominent and suitable location and a one-time award of $10,000. A certificate suitable for framing will be presented to the recipient.
(Regents, 5‑11‑78; amended 9‑11‑86, 6-27-95, 1-26-99, 1-27-04, 1-26-11, 12-7-12, 9-14-17, 9-11-19)
The University Council on Faculty Awards and Honors (UCFAH) requests that the following guidelines are followed for nominations submitted for the following University awards:
David L Boren Professorship • David Ross Boyd Professorship • Regents' Awards (Superior Teaching, Superior Research and Creative Activity, Superior Professional and University Service) • University Distinguished Teaching Award
PLEASE NOTE: To prepare dossiers for Presidential Professorships, George Lynn Cross Research Professorships, and Provost's Awards, please refer to these particular awards for specific requirements.
ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF NOMINATIONS
An electronic dossier for each nomination is to be submitted by the Dean's Office, via email, to the Provost's Office for placement on a secure website accessible to University Council on Faculty Awards and Honors members only.
HARD COPY NOMINATIONS
Hard copy dossiers (one unbound copy) are still required for departmental and college review committees, the Dean, the Provost, and the President. FOLDERS AND NOTEBOOKS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE. Double-sided copying of the materials in the dossier is encouraged wherever possible to reduce volume and weight. DO NOT SEND ORIGINALS.
FACULTY AWARDS COVER PAGE No other cover document will be accepted.
ONE PAGE INDEX
THE FOLLOWING SEQUENCE SHOULD BE FOLLOWED (not to exceed 25 pages):
Letter of Nomination (no more than 7 single spaced pages for Distinguished Professorships, no more than 3 singled spaced pages for other awards)
This is the most important part of the application and should be written with that in mind. It should describe the nominee's impact on the scholarly and overall professional development of the students they teach and mentor. It should also outline the candidate’s qualifications for the award and be a synopsis of the entire application. The letter must point out how the candidate meets the requirements for the award. Look at the criteria for selection and address each point. Include innovative teaching, research or service. The letter should be in plain English without jargon and technical terms. The nominator should distinguish between normal (expected) faculty performance and extraordinary achievements.
Short Biography (about 100 words) highlighting the nominee's most significant accomplishments and written for a general audience.
Customized Vitae that contains the relevant information pertaining to the accomplishments being cited for the award consideration
Additional document(s) (not counted towards the 25-page limit):
Letters of Support
No more than 5 letters total. It is wise to solicit more letters than can be used then select from those the most appropriate to include in the application. Letters should be limited to 5 or fewer pages and specifically address award criteria. Additional letters will be removed.
David L. Boren Professorship (Required): Letters from nationally or internationally recognized experts in the nominee’s area of expertise. The letters should include 2 for research/scholarly activity, 1 for teaching, and 1 for service/outreach.
David Ross Boyd Professorship (Required): Of the 5, no more than 3 letters from students or student groups.
Regents' Professorship (Optional): Letters can be either internal or external, but favoring at least two external letters. Letters must specially address the criteria of the Professorship.
Regents' Awards (Optional): Include letters from students, current or graduate, OU faculty, or professional colleagues. For teaching awards, letters from students are appropriate; whereas letters from professional colleagues are suitable for research awards. Service awards should be supported by letters from other faculty or individuals who have worked with the candidate in service-related areas.
University Distinguished Teaching Award (Required): Letters may come from current or former students, student organizations, faculty colleagues, alumni, department chairs, or others familiar with evaluating the individual’s teaching effectiveness at the undergraduate level.
Other Supporting Materials
Letter from the College Dean (Optional)
This letter will focus on evaluatory comments regarding the quality and significance of the nominee's impact on the broader OU mission.
In accordance with Regents' policy, only one nomination by an academic unit or other nominating group of faculty is allowed for each of the Regents’ Awards (teaching, research and creative activity, and professional and university service).
*The nomination packet should contain only the items listed above unless stated otherwise *
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