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Nominations sought for 2011 Chancellor’s awards

Faculty to be honored for distinguished teaching, scholarship and service at Convocation 2011

 Medal

Even though it is not yet spring, planning is already underway for Convocation 2011, which marks the ceremonial opening of the academic year. Among the marquee events that will take place this fall will be the presentation of the Chancellor’s Awards for distinguished service, teaching and research—and nominations are needed. 

Faculty members who hold the rank of associate professor or professor in any of the three schools—medicine, nursing and biomedical sciences—are eligible for nomination. The awards, which were created last year to recognize the significant contributions of the Medical School’s faculty, will be presented by Chancellor Michael F. Collins at Convocation on Sept. 15.

Nomination is a multi-step process, beginning with an initial submission of a one-page nomination and a copy of the nominee’s CV by March 18. Selection committees will review this material and determine the finalists. The nominators of those finalists will then be asked to submit additional information by April 15, with final nomination packets due on June 1. The selection committees will make recommendations to the chancellor, who will select the award recipients. 

Initial nominations for the Chancellor’s Awards for Distinguished Service and for Distinguished Scholarship should be submitted to Lisa Beittel, chief of staff and assistant dean for administration in the Office of the Dean. Initial nominations for the Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Teaching should be submitted to Melissa Puliafico, director of the Office of Education Affairs. Questions about the nomination process should be directed to Beittel. 

Nomination criteria for each award are as follows, as provided by the Office of the Dean: 

Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Teaching 

This award is based on the candidate’s longstanding teaching contributions during the period of his or her association with UMMS. Candidates for this award must have demonstrated the ability to teach effectively and evaluate diverse students in a range of courses and on a variety of levels, to adapt different modes of teaching to different learning situations and to explore novel teaching methods. In addition to being excellent course instructors, candidates should have demonstrated excellence in related activities, such as advising and mentoring students, developing and assessing curricula, assessing student learning outcomes, and guiding junior faculty to develop their teaching skills. Nominations should provide evidence that the candidate’s teaching has fostered students’ personal, intellectual and professional development. 

Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Scholarship

This award is based on the scholarly work that the candidate has presented to the public during the period of his or her association with UMMS. The candidate’s work must exhibit excellence as evidenced by its import and impact nationally and internationally. The assessment of peers, both internal and external to the campus, will carry particular weight in the award process, as will extramural grant funding and publications in scholarly journals with high impact. In addition to being an excellent scholar, a candidate should have demonstrated an ability to engage others in his or her work, such as graduate students. 

Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Service

This award is based on the candidate’s service contributions during the period of his or her association with UMMS. Candidates for this award should have provided service that is consistent with the mission of the academic health sciences center. The service activities should have made demonstrable, substantial and long-lasting contributions to the campus community (academic or clinical) or the community at large, or to the candidate’s discipline or profession. This can include both exemplary clinical service and public service activities.

2010 Award Recipients

  • Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Teaching 
    Susan B. Gagliardi, PhD, professor of cell biology and neurology

  • Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Scholarship 
    Michael P. Czech, PhD, the Isadore and Fannie Foxman Chair in Medical Research and chair and professor of molecular medicine

  • Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Service 
    John L. Sullivan, MD, vice provost for research and professor of pediatrics and molecular medicine