UTC RAVE Alert

Awards Criteria

2025-2026 Excellence in Teaching, Research, Service, and Mentorship Awards

Each year UTC honors outstanding faculty members for excellence in the performance areas of teaching, research, service, and mentoring. The application procedures and criteria for these awards are described below.

  • Mentorship Awards
  • Teaching Awards
  • Research Awards
  • Service Awards

 

Mentorship Award

Nomination Process
  • Nominator
    • Must be a current or former UTC faculty member
    • Assess the nominee according to the rubric elements and provide evidence to support the rating for each part of the rubric
  • Nominee
    • Assess yourself according to the rubric elements and provide evidence to support the rating for each part of the rubric.
    • For self-nominees: You will be asked to enter the email address of a current or former UTC Faculty member who will receive a link to complete the nomination form. The form is not set up to accept a letter of support.
    • Include a supporting letter from a current or former UTC Faculty member instead of nominator statement.
  • Protégés
    • Up to two additional protégés may be identified by either the nominator or the nominee
    • Assess the nominee according to the rubric elements and provide evidence to support the rating for each part of the rubric
  • Application materials
    • Nominee, nominator, and protégé completed forms
    • Mentorship report from Digital Measures (found under teaching)
       

Nominations will not be considered if they exceed word count limits. 

Mentorship Awards

Awarded to any member of the UTC Faculty who has consistently demonstrated commitment to fostering the intellectual, creative, scholarly, personal, or professional growth of their proteges so that they may function effectively and with measurable success. Recipients of this award strive to help others in career growth or personal development. 

All UTC Faculty members, including Tenured, Tenure-Track, Non-Tenure Track, Teaching (Lecturer), Clinical, Research, Faculty of Practice, Adjunct Faculty, and Department Heads, are eligible to receive this award.

  • Campus-level administrators (e.g., in the offices of the Chancellor and Provost, or Deans) are not eligible.
  • Nominees have served as a mentor to UTC students, faculty, or staff, in a formal or informal capacity, or to several junior or mid-career faculty over a continuous period.
  • Faculty members with at least three years of employment at UTC are eligible to receive this award once every three years.
  • This award is given based on mentoring completed while employed at UTC.

Research Awards

Nomination Process
  • Nominator
    • Must be a current or former UTC Faculty member
    • Assess the nominee according to the rubric elements and provide evidence to support the rating for each part of the rubric.
  • Nominee
    • Assess yourself according to the rubric elements and provide evidence to support the rating for each part of the rubric.
    • For self-nominees: You will be asked to enter the email address of a current or former UTC Faculty member who will receive a link to complete the nomination form. The form is not set up to accept a letter of support.
  • Application Materials
    • Nominee and nominator completed form
    • Scholarship report from Digital Measures (from only last three years)
    • Supplemental materials should be submitted as a single PDF of no more than three (3) pages. This file should augment the rest of the application materials, not duplicate them. Examples of supplemental materials include but are not limited to:
      • Citation and download counts for published articles and electronic journals.
      • Editorships, editorial board memberships, and elections to leaderships positions in academic or professional associations.
      • Research awards, recognitions, and competitive grants or third-party funding for research projects.
      • Invitations to participate in conferences, presentations of creative endeavors (e.g. to play or perform an original musical piece or show original artwork), and case studies leading to new teaching practices
      • Adoption of textbooks or instructional software, use of research in doctoral seminars, or appointments as visiting professors or scholars at other institutions.
      • Awards of competitive grants from major national or international agencies or third-party funding for research projects.
      • Patent awards.
      • Case studies of research that leads to the adoption of new teaching/learning practices.
      • Research-based learning projects with companies and/or non-profit organizations, or company adoption and/or implementation of research findings.
      • Links to journal lists or resources that provide context for research, scholarly, or creative excellence in your discipline.

Nominations will not be considered if they exceed word or page count limits. 

Lifetime Research Award 

This award is given to full-time faculty who have consistently demonstrated exceptional performance in research or creative works. Recipients of this award strive to advance knowledge in their field as they continually seek ways to improve their research. Faculty members with at least fifteen years of employment at UTC are eligible for this award. Library Faculty members are eligible for this award.  

Non-Tenure-Track Research Award 

This award is given to non-tenure-track faculty who have consistently demonstrated exceptional performance in research or creative works. Recipients of this award strive to advance knowledge in their field as they continually seek ways to improve their research. Non-tenure-track faculty members with at least three years of employment at UTC are eligible for this award. Library Faculty members are eligible for this award.

Tenure-Track Research Award 

This award is given to tenure-track faculty who have consistently demonstrated exceptional performance in research or creative works. Recipients of this award strive to advance knowledge in their field as they continually seek ways to improve their research. Tenure-track faculty members with at least three years of employment at UTC are eligible for this award. Library Faculty members are eligible for this award.

Tenured Research Award 

This award is given to tenured faculty who have consistently demonstrated exceptional performance in research or creative works. Recipients of this award strive to advance knowledge in their field as they continually seek ways to improve their research. Tenured faculty members with at least three years of employment at UTC are eligible for this award. Library Faculty members are eligible for this award.

Service Awards

Nomination Process
  • Nominator
    • Must be a current or former UTC Faculty member
    • Assess the nominee according to the rubric elements and provide evidence to support the rating for each part of the rubric
  • Nominee
    • Assess yourself according to the rubric elements and provide evidence to support the rating for each part of the rubric.
    • For self-nominees: You will be asked to enter the email address of a current or former UTC Faculty member who will receive a link to complete the nomination form. The form is not set up to accept a letter of support.
  • Application Materials
    • Nominee and nominator completed forms
    • Service report from Digital Measures (from only last three years)
    • Supplemental materials should be submitted as a single PDF of no more than three (3) pages. This file should augment the rest of the application materials, not duplicate them. Examples of supplemental materials include but are not limited to:
      • Editorships, associate editorships, or editorial board memberships for leading, peer-reviewed journals.
      • Elections to leadership positions in academic or professional associations.
      • Awards and recognitions related to service.
      • Research-based learning projects with companies or non-profit organizations.
      • Other examples of service impact.

Nominations will not be considered if they exceed word or page count limits. 

Lifetime Service Award 

This award is given to full-time faculty who have consistently demonstrated exceptional service to their community, profession, or UTC. Full-time faculty members with at least fifteen years of employment at UTC are eligible for this award. Library Faculty members are eligible for this award.

Non-Tenure Track Service Award 

This award is given to non-tenure-track faculty who have consistently demonstrated exceptional service to their community, profession, or UTC. Non-tenure-track faculty members with at least three years of employment at UTC are eligible for this award. Library Faculty members are eligible for this award.

Tenure-Track Service Award 

This award is given to tenure-track faculty who have consistently demonstrated exceptional service to their community, profession, or UTC. Tenure-track faculty members with at least three years of employment at UTC are eligible for this award. Library Faculty members are eligible for this award. 

Tenured Service Award 

This award is given to tenured faculty who have consistently demonstrated exceptional service to their community, profession, or UTC. Tenured faculty members with at least three years of employment at UTC are eligible for this award. Library Faculty members are eligible for this award.

Teaching Awards

Nomination Process
  • Nominator
    • Must be a current or former UTC Faculty member
    • Assess the nominee according to the rubric elements and provide evidence to support the rating for each part of the rubric
  • Nominee
    • Assess yourself according to the rubric elements and provide evidence to support the rating for each part of the rubric.
    • For self-nominees: You will be asked to enter the email address of a current or former UTC Faculty member who will receive a link to complete the nomination form. The form is not set up to accept a letter of support.
    • Course materials from the last 3-5 years, including but not limited to representative samples of the following:
      • Faculty comments on student evaluations to be written by the nominee  
      • Active learning examples
      • Projects
      • Syllabi
  • Application Materials
    • Nominee and nominator completed forms
    • Faculty comments on student evaluations.
    • Supplemental materials should be submitted as a single PDF of no more than twenty (20) pages. This file should augment the rest of the application materials, not duplicate them. Examples of supplemental materials include but are not limited to:
      • Peer reviews of teaching
      • Other evidence of effective teaching (e.g., awards, honors, recognitions)
      • Evidence of engaging and/or creative/innovative approaches in the classroom (face to face or virtual)
      • Active participation in discipline, program/degree and/or department curriculum process
      • Evidence of experiential learning and/or high impact practices
      • Invited lectures on pedagogy
      • Direction of honors theses, and/or graduate theses and dissertations
      • Professional development activities related to teaching and learning
      • Grants to redesign or innovate courses
      • Assessment results
         
Lifetime Teaching Award 

This award is given to full-time faculty who have consistently demonstrated exceptional performance in teaching. Recipients of this award strive to enhance student learning as they continually seek ways to improve their teaching. Tenured faculty members with at least fifteen years of teaching at UTC are eligible for this award. Members of Library Faculty are eligible for this award, where librarianship takes the place of teaching.

Adjunct Teaching Award 

This award is given to adjunct faculty who have consistently demonstrated exceptional performance in teaching. Recipients of this award strive to enhance student learning as they continually seek ways to improve their teaching. Adjunct faculty members who have taught at least one class in each of the last three years are eligible for this award. Members of Library Faculty are eligible for this award, where librarianship takes the place of teaching. 

Non-Tenure-Track Teaching Award 

This award is given to non-tenure-track faculty who have consistently demonstrated exceptional performance in teaching. Recipients of this award strive to enhance student learning as they continually seek ways to improve their teaching. Non-tenure-track faculty members with at least three years of teaching at UTC are eligible for this award. Members of Library Faculty are eligible for this award, where librarianship takes the place of teaching. 

Tenure-Track Teaching Award 

This award is given to tenure-track faculty who have consistently demonstrated exceptional performance in teaching. Recipients of this award strive to enhance student learning as they continually seek ways to improve their teaching. Tenured faculty members with at least three years of teaching at UTC are eligible for this award. Members of Library Faculty are eligible for this award, where librarianship takes the place of teaching. 

Tenured Teaching Award 

This award is given to tenured faculty who have consistently demonstrated exceptional performance in teaching. Recipients of this award strive to enhance student learning as they continually seek ways to improve their teaching. Tenured faculty members with at least three years of teaching at UTC are eligible for this award. Members of Library Faculty are eligible for this award, where librarianship takes the place of teaching. 

General Education Teaching Award

This award is given to faculty who have consistently demonstrated exceptional performance in teaching courses that have been certified for the General Education curriculum. Recipients of this award strive to expand students' fundamental knowledge, abilities, and aesthetic sensibilities, leading to more enriched lives and a more comprehensive view of our global world, consistent with the Philosophy and Goals of the General Education Curriculum. Faculty members with at least three years of teaching at UTC are eligible for this award. All full-time UTC Faculty members who teach courses that have been certified for the General Education curriculum are eligible to receive this award.

2025-2026 Faculty Awards Committee

  • Sarah Kantor, Chair
  • Holly Berkowitz
  • Nicholas Boer
  • Rowan Buffington
  • Trevor Elliott
  • David Giles
  • Harlee Milligan
  • Andrea Neely
  • Reetesh Ranjan
  • Lauren Ingraham (ex officio)

 

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