Chancellor’s Award for Excellence to a Part-time Faculty Member

Purpose:
This award recognizes part-time faculty who demonstrate continued excellence in classroom instruction and contributions to the UMSL learning environment.

Award:
An award plaque and honorarium of $1000 is presented at the Chancellor's State of the University Address in the Fall Semester.

Eligibility:
Nominees are faculty and staff who have taught credit courses on a part-time basis for a minimum of ten semesters or summer sessions in the last five years. This award may not be awarded to the same recipient twice.  Nominees must be teaching part-time during the semester in which they are nominated for the award.

Criteria:
Nominees must show evidence, consistent with the priorities and goals outlined in the UMSL Strategic Plan, that the nominee’s teaching excellence relies on the following criteria (which are not listed in order of importance):

• Uses multiple instructional and assessment approaches in the classroom, laboratory, community, or studio
• Is committed to student learning and engagement during class and beyond
• Stimulates intellectual curiosity in students
• Reflects on past teaching experience to improve current practices
• Stays current in field/discipline

• Cover page with name, position, academic address of nominee and nominator, and a checklist of included documents
• Letters of support from the (1) nominee’s chairperson confirming the nominee’s appointment and eligibility and a  (2) peer review from a full-time colleague who is familiar with the nominee’s courses and has observed the nominee’s teaching. Each letter should be limited to 2 pages in length.
• A philosophy of teaching statement, no more than three (3) pages, that outlines and shows the alignment of the nominee’s teaching goals, instructional strategies, and learning assessments
• Curriculum vitae, including a list of courses taught and evidence that the nominee stays current in field/discipline
• Evidence of a focus on student learning and engagement & curricular and instructional innovations (e.g., syllabi, assignments, assessments, activities)
• Summary of student evaluations from all courses taught in the most recent two-year period.  Include a copy of the evaluation(s) used with an explanation of the scale for quantitative data.  
• Two letters of support from students that address the criteria for the award. Each letter should be limited to 2 pages in length.
• Evidence supporting nomination criteria.

Nomination Procedure:
The Senate Faculty Teaching and Service Awards Committee receives and reviews all nominations and presents its recommendation to the chancellor for final approval. The Committee requires submission through electronic format. These nominations should be a single file in MS Word or PDF format, and should be emailed to the Senate office (senate@umsl.edu) no later than 5 pm on the deadline.

Deadline for Submission:

March 1, 2024 at 11:59 p.m is the deadline for submission of nomination and completed materials packet.

Previous Award Winners:

2018 - 2019 Michael Porterfield, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Education Sciences and Professional Programs
2017 - 2018 Robert Wilson, Adjunct Instructor, Pierre Laclede Honors College 
2016 - 2017 Carol DeFreese, Adjunct Instructor, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
2015 - 2016 Benjamin Peet, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
2014 - 2015 Brian Lawton, Senior Lecturer, Department of Information Systems
2013 - 2014 Jessica Walter Saigh, Instructor, English as a Second Language, Anthropology, Sociology and Languages