Outstanding University Teacher Awards Program
Every year, ISU recognizes its most outstanding teachers through the Outstanding University Teacher Award program. By honoring such individuals, the university demonstrates its commitment to teaching excellence and to student learning.
The University Teaching Council, an advisory body to the Provost comprised of former teaching award winners and other campus representatives, is responsible for administering the program, evaluating nominees, and selecting award winners.
This awards program embraces the view that the best teachers likely have a talent for teaching, but in addition have methodically and consistently worked over time to enhance their teaching knowledge, skills, and abilities.
The guidelines for nominations and for portfolio preparation reflect the UTC’s consensus on the importance of “mindful teaching,” which encompasses persistent, focused, and purposeful dedication to striving for excellence over time. This includes: learning about and applying effective instructional practices across a wide range of teaching activities, evaluating the effectiveness of those practices, and reflecting on personal values and professional experiences to shape future teaching practices.
(revised February 2024)
Portfolio Preparation
The portfolio content requirements are designed to provide you with an opportunity to describe and contextualize your teaching record as well as to articulate your commitment to teaching excellence in your academic career.
Award Categories
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Outstanding University Teacher Award,
Tenure TrackThis category recognizes tenured faculty. To be eligible, nominees must...
... be full-time, tenured faculty with at least three years of service at Illinois State University.
... receive an outstanding teacher award from an academic college or Milner Library.
... receive support for their candidacy from both department chair/school director and college dean. (Support from the chair/school director should include both a completed nomination form and a letter of support. Support from the dean should include only a signed nomination form.)
Honorarium: $3,000
Note: Tenured award recipients within the prior five years and current members of the University Teaching Council (UTC) are ineligible.
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Teaching Initiative Award
This category recognizes pre-tenure professors who have shown considerable promise in teaching early in their academic careers. To be eligible, nominees must...
... have served at least two years as full-time, tenure-track faculty at Illinois State University, but not more than five years of full-time, tenure track university-level teaching experience at Illinois State University and elsewhere, combined, at the time of their nomination.
... receive support for their candidacy from both department chair/school director and college dean. (Support from the chair/school director should include both a completed nomination form and a letter of support. Support from the dean should include only a signed nomination form.)
Honorarium: $1,000
Note: Prior TIA recipients and current members of the University Teaching Council are ineligible.
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Outstanding University Teacher Award,
Non-Tenure TrackThis category recognizes full- or part-time teachers with non-tenure track appointments and administrative professionals and civil service employees with university credit-generating teaching responsibilities. To be eligible, nominees must:
..be full- or part-time teachers with non-tenure track appointments (i.e., not on a tenure track); or administrative professionals with credit-generating teaching responsibilities; or civil service employees with credit-generating teaching responsibilities.
... have completed at least four semesters of university credit-generating teaching responsibilities at Illinois State University under one of the eligible appointments above.
... receive support for their candidacy from both department chair/school director and college dean. (Support from the chair/school director should include both a completed nomination form and a letter of support. Support from the dean should include only a signed nomination form.)
Honorarium: $2,000
Note: Non-tenured award recipients within the prior five years and current members of the University Teaching Council (UTC) are ineligible.
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Outstanding University Teacher Award,
A/P or CSThe Claire and Tom Lamonica Outstanding Teacher Award, established in 2020, recognizes outstanding teaching by individuals on Administrative Professional or Civil Service staff lines. To be eligible, nominees must...
...be administrative professionals or civil service employees with credit-generating teaching responsibilities.
...have completed at least four semesters of university credit-generating teaching responsibilities at Illinois State University under one of the eligible appointments above.
...receive support for their candidacy from both department chair/school director and dean of the department or school and college in which they teach. (Support from the chair/school director should include both a completed nomination form and a letter of support. Support from the dean should include only a signed nomination form.)
Honorarium: $2,000
Note: Non-tenured award recipients within the prior five years and current members of the University Teaching Council (UTC) are ineligible.
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Outstanding University Graduate Student Teaching Awards
This category recognizes outstanding contributions to teaching made by graduate students as part of their program and educational experience at Illinois State University. Awards are offered at three levels. To be eligible, nominees must...
...be graduate teaching assistants currently holding at least a .25 FTE appointment (6-10 hours per week) in one of the award categories (see above), or have held such an appointment for at least one full term (fall, spring, or summer) for the academic year for which they are nominated.
...receive support for their candidacy from both department chair/school director and college dean. (Support from the chair/school director should include both a completed nomination form and a letter of support. Support from the dean should include only a signed nomination form.)
Honorarium: $500
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Nomination and Selection Procedures
Nomination procedures for all award categories begin at the department/school level each spring when departments/schools select their nominees from those who are eligible and who merit nomination. Nominees then have about five months to prepare their teaching portfolios, with the help of summer workshops at the Center for Integrated Professional Development, which are to be submitted in the fall to their respective college’s Dean’s Office for review. Colleges then forward the portfolios to the University Teaching Council for its portfolio review process and selection of the recipients in late Fall. Nomination processes are similar for each category but differ in some respects.
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University Teaching Council
The University Teaching Council is the advisory body to the Provost’s Office on teaching-related matters. Its mission is to support instructional excellence at Illinois State University through administering university-level teaching awards, making recommendations on policy related to teaching and learning, and providing campus leadership on teaching-related issues and opportunities.
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Questions?
We're here to help. You can always email the Center at ProDev@ilstu.edu or call (309) 438-2542.
Annual Timetable
- Mid-March – Program information and guidelines are posted to the University Teaching Council web site and memos outlining the time frame and any changes in the process are distributed to Chairs, Deans, and others by the University Teaching Council.
- Last Tuesday of April – Names of nominees are due from departments to the Chair of the University Teaching Council (Outstanding@ilstu.edu). Departments should inform nominees of their nomination.
- Summer – The Center for Integrated Professional Development provides nominees with portfolio development support through workshops and individualized consultation. (NOTE: Attendance is strongly advised, but not mandatory.) See Center summer programming for details (ProDev.IllinoisState.edu).
- First Tuesday of September – Completed teaching portfolios are due from all nominees to their chairs, directors, or designees.
- Third Tuesday of September – Teaching portfolios, including chair’s/director’s letter as described in portfolio preparation guidelines, are due from departments/schools to the deans of their respective colleges. Each portfolio must be accompanied by a nomination form signed by the chair/school director.
- Third Tuesday of October – Teaching portfolios of final college nominees are due from college dean’s offices to the chair of the University Teaching Council at the Center for Integrated Professional Development. Each portfolio must be accompanied by a nomination form signed by the dean. All portfolios must arrive at the Center for Integrated Professional Development no later than 4:30 pm on the third Tuesday of October. Late submissions will not be accepted.
- December – The University Teaching Council completes its review and selection process and notifies each nominee individually of the outcome for his or her nomination. Chairs/directors are notified of their department’s/school’s nominees’ outcomes, deans are notified of their college nominees’ outcomes, and the Provost’s Office is notified of all award recipients.
- Early January – The Wednesday before spring semester begins, award recipients are announced and introduced at the annual Teaching and Learning Symposium.