Dean's Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching
The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, in fulfillment of its mission, is devoted to excellence in undergraduate teaching. The purpose of the award program is to reward and honor the college's best tenure system faculty. The LAS Awards Committee will review and rank the applications received. Final recipient recommendations will be approved by the dean of the college. Up to five awards may be made annually. Departments are encouraged to submit one nomination. If a faculty member receives any LAS College Award they will not be eligible for a second college award during the next 10-year period.
Criteria
Nominations will be evaluated in terms of achievement according to the following established criteria:
- Sustained excellence in undergraduate teaching.
- Innovative approaches to undergraduate teaching.
- The overall positive impact on undergraduate student learning.
- Other contributions to improve undergraduate instruction. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: Engaging students in the classroom; developing courses and curricula; mentoring graduate teaching assistants; leading workshops on pedagogy; advancing the scholarship of teaching and learning; or making other multidimensional contributions beyond the classroom, laboratory, or studio.
Award
An award of $1,000 is placed in a discretionary account to support the recipient's teaching and research. In addition, a one-time increment of $2,000 will be added to the annual salary base of each recipient. Recipients also receive a commemorative plaque which is presented at the LAS Recognition of Teaching Excellence.
Eligibility
The eligibility requirements for this award and the Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching-Faculty are the same. Further, a faculty member who receives any LAS College award will not be eligible for a second college award during the next 10-year period, although such a person may be nominated again through this process for the Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching during that 10-year period, if she/he remains eligible for that award.
Nomination
The nomination for this award and the Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching are the same. The criteria and procedures are included in the Provost's Guidelines on Awards for Excellence in Instruction, Advising, and Research. In addition to the campus procedures, all materials must be typed in 12 point, Times New Roman font, single-spaced.
The LAS Awards Committee will review and rank the applications received. Each faculty member selected as a winner of the Dean's Award will be nominated for the Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, if eligible. In cases in which a faculty member is not eligible in a given year for a college award but is eligible for a campus award, the strongest nominations as determined by the Awards Committee will be forwarded. A pdf of the nomination packet should be emailed to lasdean@illinois.edu. If needed, a paper copy can be sent to: LAS AWARDS COMMITTEE, 2090 Lincoln Hall MC-448.
The deadlines for submission to the department and to the college correspond to those for the campus awards:
| Date | Deadlines |
|---|---|
| Mid-November, 2023 | Recommended deadline for nominations to departmental selection committee. |
| January 5, 2024, 5pm | Deadline for nominations from departments to the college. |
| February 1, 2024 | Deadline for college nominations to the campus. |