Academic Outreach Awards for Faculty
Nomination Deadline: February 10, 2012
On behalf of the chancellor, the University’s Council on Academic Outreach and Engagement is soliciting nominations for the Chancellor's Academic Outreach Award that recognizes excellence in academic outreach by faculty. The award will be presented to the faculty member at the Chancellor's Awards Banquet in April 9, 2012. The Academic Outreach Award recognizes extraordinary contributions of faculty to the public that occur as an outgrowth of academic pursuits and are related to the university's academic mission. The faculty award is based on demonstrated outstanding contributions to the public stemming from the academic expertise of the nominee.
Academic Outreach
Academic outreach is defined as integrated scholarship which engages the institution's academic missions of research, creativity, teaching, and service with the community at large. It involves the university’s faculty and students employing their academic expertise to engage the community in reciprocal, collaborative relationships to improve the quality of life for citizens. In turn, the relationships with the community inform the scholarship and learning of faculty and students. Scholarship in academic outreach can be demonstrated in the nomination and faculty member’s curriculum vitae with awards, grants, publications and/or other recognitions within the discipline and/or the community. Academic outreach scholarship is demonstrated across the three domains of the faculty role: teaching, research, and service. For a more detailed discussion of academic outreach in the scholarship teaching, research or creative activity, and service or application, please see Appendix A.
Eligibility
All tenure-track and tenured faculty of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, including the Institute of Agriculture, are eligible for this award. The award is intended to honor an individual faculty member who has exceeded normal expectations in his/her academic outreach activities. Previous award winners and members of the Council on Academic Outreach and Engagement are ineligible. All nominees should have a minimum of five years of continuous service at the University of Tennessee.
Nomination Process
Essential characteristics of academic are integration of scholarship and engagement between the university community and the community at-large in vital, reciprocal, collaborative relationships. Nomination materials should address how the nominee’s scholarship demonstrates these characteristics.
Nominators should submit a completed nomination packet, including:
- A completed nomination form (one per nominee; see Appendix B)
- A letter of nomination, not to exceed two pages. Only one letter of nominations, from the nominator, will be accepted. The letter should be submitted by the nominee’s Department Head or immediate supervisor. The letter of nomination should highlight the nominee’s academic outreach and engagement activities.
- A copy of the faculty nominee’s curriculum vitae.
- Additional materials should not be included because they will not be considered.
Completed nomination packets (including the three items described above) must be submitted via e-mail to Carol Myers (cmyers9@utk.edu) by February 10, 2012.
Selection Process
The Awards and Nominations Committee of the University’s Academic Outreach Council will preside over the nomination and selection process. The selection committee will include five representatives of the council and the previous year’s award winner. The selection committee will review nominations and select the faculty member to be recommended to the Chancellor’s Office as the award recipient. Nominees may be sponsored by the Office of Academic Outreach and Engagement to present their academic outreach project(s) at the annual National Outreach Scholarship Conference.