Appendices

Appendix I: Teaching Awards

Several University-wide teaching awards, fellowships, and endowed chairs are available each year at U.Va. to recognize exceptionally effective teaching. Award descriptions appear below, as well as at http://trc.virginia.edu/Awards/Awards.htm, where you will also find the names and departments of all recent and previous award winners. Consult your department or school for various local awards.

The All-University Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award

Under the auspices of the Teaching Resource Center, winners of approximately thirty GTA awards of $250 are chosen annually through departments. These awardwinners are considered for four $1000 awards, with one award in each of the four areas of humanities (including architecture and the Engineering Division of Technology, Culture, and Communication), social sciences (including commerce and education), sciences (including engineering and nursing), and medicine. A committee coordinated by the TRC selects the four major GTA awardees from this group.

The All-University Teaching Award

In a program supported by the Office of the Provost, three awards of $2,000 each are given to outstanding faculty members teaching undergraduate students in each of three broad areas: humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Two additional $2000 faculty awards are given for undergraduate, graduate, or professional instruction in any discipline. Nominations are solicited by the faculty Teaching Awards Committee.

The Alumni Board of Trustees Teaching Award

Any faculty member who has been at the University no longer than nine years and who is a full-time untenured faculty member on a tenure-track is eligible for a nomination. The Alumni Board of Trustees awards an outstanding teacher a $1,000 cash prize and a $1,500 research award. The Office of the Provost provides the winner with one-semester leave at full pay.

The Alumni Association Distinguished Professor Award

The Distinguished Professor Award is conferred annually upon that member of the faculty who has, over a period of not less than ten years, excelled as a classroom teacher, shown unusual concern for students, and made significant contributions to the life of the University. The award consists of an inscribed and framed certificate, a cash prize of $2,500, and a Life Membership in the Alumni Association. Nominations are solicited through the Office of the Provost.

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) Outstanding Faculty Awards

This award recognizes excellent college and university faculty in Virginia on the basis of exemplary contributions to teaching, research, or public service. Winners of these state-wide awards are chosen by a committee made up of State Council leaders, business and community leaders, faculty members, and past recipients. The award consists of a $5,000 cash prize.

The Cavalier Distinguished Teaching Professorship

Faculty members appointed to the Cavalier Distinguished Teaching Professorship because of enduring excellence in teaching devote attention primarily to enriching instruction in their discipline during the chair appointment and beyond. They work with the Teaching Resource Center to promote the general enhancement of teaching and normally teach a University Seminar.

The NEH Distinguished Professorship

In response to a proposal written at the Teaching Resource Center, the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded U.Va. a Special Challenge Grant. That challenge met, the University now has three rotating, three-year chairs for distinguished faculty members in the humanities to pursue special projects related to teaching their disciplines:

The Richard A. and Sara Page Mayo DTP
The Horace W. Goldsmith DTP
The Daniels Family DTP

Distinguished Teaching Professors also regularly share their ideas generated interdisciplinarily through TRCsponsored workshops.

The University Teaching Fellowship

With summer research grants of $7,000 and ongoing, interdisciplinary discussions, the University Teaching Fellows Program aims to help our most intellectually sound and successful junior faculty members develop into exceptionally fine teachers. Under the auspices of the Teaching Resource Center, a committee composed of award-winning faculty members and former Fellows and Mentors annually choose six Fellows. They participate in an off-Grounds retreat and monthly meetings to discuss aspects of teaching that interest them and consult about their course development projects.

The Teaching + Technology Initiative Fellowship

The Teaching + Technology Initiative (TTI) is a joint venture supported by the Provost and the Vice President for Information Technology. Through this program faculty are supported in creating or revising a course that makes use of emerging technologies. TTI faculty interactions, coordinated by the Teaching Resource Center in conjunction with the Instructional Technology Group, include a retreat at which Fellows identify their concerns in pursuing this work and regular meetings at which Fellows update each other on progress with projects and hear from experts on relevant topics. For further information, visit the TTI website: http:// nmc.itc.virginia.edu/TTI/

The Seven Society Graduate Fellowship for Superb Teaching

This $7000 Fellowship funded through an anonymous bequest to the Seven Society recognizes a teaching assistant who embodies the highest ideals of teaching at the University: dedication to students, substantial knowledge of the subject matter, and skill in conveying passion for that knowledge. Nominations are made by undergraduates, and the selection committee is composed equally of faculty and undergraduate students.

The Dr. Frank Finger Graduate Fellowship

Funded by a bequest of J. Huston McCollough, III in honor of Dr. Frank Finger (former Alumni Professor of Psychology), this Fellowship is awarded each year to a graduate teaching assistant from the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, in recognition of stimulating and organized classroom teaching. The fellowship amount varies but is at least $4,000.