(revised June 2021)
The Claire and Tom Lamonica Outstanding Teacher Award is for Administrative/Professional or Civil Service staff whose teaching accomplishments are exceptionally significant and meritorious among their ISU colleagues. The award is designed to recognize 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. This award is given to one recipient each year and includes a stipend.
To be eligible, nominees must:
Note: Non-tenured award recipients within the prior five years and current members of the University Teaching Council (UTC) are ineligible.
Any current or former ISU department chairperson, school director, division head, or dean; any current or former ISU full- or part-time faculty member; or any current or former full- or part-time ISU student may nominate someone meeting the eligibility requirements for this award. Nomination letters or emails should be sent directly to the department chair/school director of the department in which the candidate teaches. Nomination letters/emails should:
The chair/director should use a selection process developed and implemented in consultation with the DFSC/SFSC to identify no more than two nominees each year and forward those names to the Chair, University Teaching Council, via email no later than 4:30 p.m. on the last Tuesday of April. Nominees should then prepare their teaching portfolios and submit them to their chairs by the first Tuesday of September (or a date arranged with the chair/director). Chairs/directors then forward completed portfolios to their college dean's office no later than the third Tuesday of September.
Each dean, dean's appointee, and/or selection committee, in conjunction with the College Council, shall do the following:
The UTC shall evaluate nominees' materials to select recipients and notify each finalist of the outcome. In the case of portfolios of equal merit, preference shall go to those who have not previously won the award.
See Portfolio Preparation Guidelines for general tips and step-by-step instructions on creating a compelling teaching portfolio.