2008 - 2009 University Undergraduate Teaching Awards Call for Nominations


The deadline for all 2009 nominations is Friday, September 19, 2008.

The University Undergraduate Teaching Awards Selection Committee is pleased to invite nominations for the following awards:


George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching

Eligibility criteria:

  • Full-time Penn State faculty member
  • Tenured or tenure-track faculty
  • Undergraduate teaching as a primary responsibility
  • Minimum of three years undergraduate teaching experience

Milton S. Eisenhower Award for Distinguished Teaching

Eligibility criteria:

  • Full-time Penn State faculty member
  • Tenured faculty
  • Undergraduate teaching as a primary responsibility
  • Minimum of five years teaching experience at Penn State

Alumni Association Teaching Fellow Award

Eligibility criteria:

  • Current tenured faculty
  • Minimum of three years teaching experience at Penn State

Recipients of this award will be asked to share their talents and expertise with others throughout the University system. Year-long responsibilities may include:

  • Participating in workshops and symposia
  • Facilitating workshops or leading seminars on teaching for fellow faculty or graduate assistants
  • Making presentations at Alumni Association events


Nomination Dossier Requirements

Important Note: The nomination packet should be compiled by a division or department representative. Nominees should be asked only for a one-page teaching philosophy statement and a current two-page biosketch.

Selection committee members each read about 400 nomination materials of annually. Dossiers are limited to fifteen pages with 1 inch margins (excluding syllabus and assignment). Font size should be no smaller than that equivalent to 12 point Times New Roman font. The one syllabus sample and one assignment sample should simply be copied as provided in class.


I. Letters of Support (six page maximum)

Every letter of support should:
  • Specify why the writer believes the faculty member deserves the award
  • Provide examples of teaching excellence exhibited by the nominee
  • Be one page in length

A maximum of six letters of support may be included in the dossier, although less than six letters is acceptable.

  • Campus/College Letter - one (maximum)
    This letter should describe why the unit supports the nomination. The letter need not provide an executive summary of the dossier.
  • Undergraduate Student Letters - three (maximum)
    These letters should be from current undergraduate students who have had a course with the nominee during the current or previous academic year.
  • Former Undergraduate Student Letter - one (maximum)
  • Faculty Colleague or Administrator Letter - one (maximum)
    The administrator or colleague must have observed the instructor in an undergraduate classroom or, in on-line courses, viewed the faculty in on-line interactions with students.

II. Teaching Philosophy Statement (one page)

A teaching philosophy statement includes an instructor’s beliefs about teaching and learning, including descriptions of what instructors do in their courses to encourage student learning and to exemplify their beliefs. Such statements describe what policies, practices, and behaviors the instructor uses to promote student learning and realize instructional objectives. Many teaching philosophy statements mention students and provide examples.

III. Evidence of Teaching Excellence

  • One sample syllabus
  • One sample assignment
  • SRTE Summary Table (one page; template available)

Note: Students’ written comments are not requested at this time because such comments are not uniformly collected throughout the university. Nominees may choose to discuss how they have improved their courses based on students’ comments and letters of support may also reference students’ comments.

IV. Faculty Biosketch (two pages maximum; to be copied directly from current CV)

Please include the following subheadings:
  • Appointments (reverse chronological order); current position, rank and title, previous academic/professional appointments, requested primarily to document eligibility
  • Education (reverse chronological order; for each: degree, date, institution, location)
  • Evidence of growth and development as an instructor
These should demonstrate the broader impact of the individual's professional and scholarly activities on university teaching and student learning, such as:
  • Instructional development activities (workshops attended or facilitated)
  • Advocacy for teaching and learning issues
  • Serving as a teaching mentor for students or faculty
  • Scholarship of Teaching and Learning activities or products (presentations, grants, articles, websites, CDs)
  • Innovations in teaching and learning (curricular materials, pedagogical methods, activities engaging underrepresented groups in higher education, outreach activities)
  • Activities that result in dissemination of effective teaching information or resources to other faculty

For additional information, please email us at SchreyerAdmin@psu.edu