I am writing to invite CLAS nominations for the 2024-2025 President and Provost Award for Teaching Excellence. These awards are important for the individual winners, their departments, and for the College as a whole as an endorsement of the high value the faculty places on excellent teaching.

Departments may submit one nomination to CLAS by Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. Please note this year's deadline is earlier than previous years.

This award from the Council on Teaching represents the highest level of achievement in teaching given at the University of Iowa. The Council seeks nominations of outstanding faculty with a sustained record of teaching excellence and a strong commitment to student learning outcomes in and out of the classroom. Three clinical-track or tenure-track faculty members and one instructional-track or adjunct faculty member will be selected to receive this award, which carries a $3,000 honorarium.

Each college may submit up to three nominations on behalf of clinical-track or tenure-track faculty and up to two nominations for those in instructional-track or adjunct faculty positions. The 2024-2025 nomination guidelines and cover sheet can be found on the Council on Teaching website.

This award is not restricted to Collegiate Teaching Award recipients or nominees but having been previously recognized for teaching excellence (e.g., collegiate awards, professional association awards) will be strongly considered. The President and Provost Award for Teaching Excellence can only be received once. 

Our Collegiate Teaching Awards Committee will review all CLAS nominations and select those to forward to the Council on Teaching. Please note that the Collegiate Teaching Awards Committee will pay careful attention to the selection criteria noted in the award solicitation: 

• A sustained record of teaching excellence at the University of Iowa (usually 10 years or more) 
• Previous recognition for excellence in teaching at the University of Iowa
• Innovative curriculum development/enhancement for required and elective courses, with instruction suited to a variety of student learning styles
• Mentorship of individual undergraduate and graduate/professional students
• Mentorship of student groups or organizations
• A demonstrated commitment to promoting an inclusive and accessible learning environment for students of all backgrounds and identities, both in and out of the classroom
• A genuine interest in student welfare and the career success of former students
• Educational outreach which improves instruction in Iowa primary and secondary schools

Nomination materials are due to the CLAS Dean’s Office on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 12 p.m. by email to Jennifer Bertrand. Please note that this CLAS deadline is earlier than the date posted on the Council on Teaching’s website because the CLAS Teaching Awards Committee needs time to review the nominations and prepare the Dean’s letter to be added to the nomination packets. 

Send your nomination materials collated into one pdf with bookmarks in the following order to Jennifer Bertrand:

• A completed President and Provost Award Cover Sheet.
• A brief statement (not to exceed two pages) of the nominee's teaching philosophy and practices.
• An abbreviated CV (not to exceed five pages) which includes the following:
  • A brief professional history (degrees received, faculty positions held, including relevant dates).
  • A narrative summary or table of courses taught in the past five years, including the number of student contact hours.
  • A list summarizing other undergraduate or graduate teaching-related activities, including mentoring, advising, and/or curriculum development or enhancement.
  • A list of teaching awards (or nominations) received at the University of Iowa.
  • Note: Do not include scholarly publications, research grants, or administration/service positions held unless they demonstrably relate to teaching.
• Five recent letters of support from current and former students, including at least one letter from a former student describing how the nominee demonstrated commitment to lifelong learning through teaching.
• Two recent letters of support from faculty colleagues describing the nominee's record of contributions to teaching excellence. One of these letters should come from the nominee's DEO.
• A compilation of student comments (not to exceed one page) from course evaluations, the Center for Teaching Thank-a-Teacher program, or similar sources.

A list of the materials required for the President and Provost Award for Teaching Excellence is available on the President and Provost Award for Teaching Excellence webpage. If you have questions about the CLAS process, please contact Jennifer Bertrand.  

Note: This memo was also published on September 4, and September 24, 2024.