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October 21, 2010

Honoring each other: Nominations open for annual campus awards

Every day you work alongside people who are fabulous at what they do. Some are faculty members, some are graduate students and some are staff members. They aren’t here just for the money — they take pride in doing a good job, day in and day out, and once a year the University honors some of them with awards.

Here’s your chance to help choose the people who win those awards. Below is a brief description of each award and instructions on how to submit a nomination. Throw your favorite person’s hat in the ring


  • The Distinguished Teaching Award, given once during the individual’s lifetime, honors several instructors based on a number of criteria, including but not limited to the ability to engage students both within and outside the classroom; innovative course and curriculum design; ability to rouse independent and original thinking in students and mastery of the subject matter.



  • The Excellence in Teaching Award is given to two graduate teaching assistants for their demonstration of extraordinary ability in the teaching and learning process as a graduate teaching assistant.



  • The S. Sterling Munro Public Service Teaching Award, thanks to a generous gift from the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, is given annually to a faculty member who has demonstrated exemplary leadership in community-based instruction, including public service internships and community partnership projects. Faculty within the University of Washington are eligible to receive the Munro Award.



  • The James D. Clowes Award for the Advancement of Learning Communities honors a faculty or staff member who has a record of helping students learn to function as a learning community while extending their work beyond the classroom into community/internationals contexts. This includes sustaining and renewing students’ efforts at creating peer-designed-and-facilitated learning groups.


To nominate a faculty or staff member or graduate teaching assistant for any of the awards above, please submit an online nomination here. Hard copy nominations will not be accepted. The deadline for all submissions is 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 17.


UW Bothell and UW Tacoma teaching awards are administered separately. To nominate a UWB faculty member, submit a one-page letter to the Office of Academic Affairs, c/o DTA, Box 358522, or by e-mail to Dinah Aldrich, daldrich@uwb.edu. More information can be found online here. The deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10.

 At the UW Tacoma, the committee for the award has not yet formed. Check this website for information from last year’s award.



  • The Marsha L. Landolt Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award, which is sponsored by The Graduate School, recognizes a faculty member who has made outstanding contributions to the education and guidance of graduate students. To nominate someone, send a letter of no more than one page to the Landolt Award Selection Committee, c/o graddean@uw.edu. (Hardcopy nominations will not be accepted.) Nominators are encouraged to cite specific instances of excellent mentoring. The deadline is Friday, Dec. 3, at 5 p.m. For complete details, click here.
  • The Distinguished Staff Award is given to five individuals or teams who have made extraordinary contributions to their departments and the University. Nominations for this award can be submitted online at the Distinguished Staff Award website. The selection will be made by a committee of staff appointed by the vice president for Human Resources. Complete criteria for the award are listed on the site. The deadline for nominations is 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15.
  • The David B. Thorud Leadership Award due to financial constraints will not be given in 2011.
  • The University Faculty Lecturer honors current or emeriti faculty whose research, scholarship or art has been widely recognized by their peers and whose achievements have had a substantial impact on their profession, on the research or performance of others and perhaps on society as a whole. The nomination letter should include a supporting statement summarizing the nominee’s accomplishments and impact, speaking ability, ability to adapt his/her academic interest to a broad audience, and a list of important publications. Send nominations to Alex Bolton, assistant to the secretary of the faculty, Box 351271. The deadline has not yet been set.
  • The Distinguished Librarian Award recognizes excellence in librarianship, especially as it benefits the academic community through innovative approaches to practice, research, teaching and learning. Additional factors include creativity, leadership, service, scholarship and demonstration of UW values. More information is available here. The deadline for nominations is Wednesday, Dec. 15. 
  • The Outstanding Public Service Award recognizes faculty or staff efforts to improve the quality of people’s lives locally, nationally or internationally. The selection committee considers the nature and extent of the public service activity, the amount of time and effort involved, and the lasting impact it has had. To nominate someone for the award, send a letter of no more than two pages including a description of the nature, extent and impact of the service, how long it lasted and whether the nominee received any compensation for it. Nominations should be sent to the Outstanding Public Service Award Committee, Box 351241, or by e-mail to Gus Kravas, gkravas@u.washington.edu. The deadline is Friday, Jan. 21, 2011.
  • The Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus Award is the highest honor bestowed upon a University of Washington graduate and is presented annually by the University of Washington and the University of Washington Alumni Association. Established in 1938, the award recognizes UW graduates who have made profound contributions not only to their fields, but to society as a whole. The award is not based on the individual’s work for the preceding year, but rather on his or her lifetime record. A committee made up of six representatives of the Alumni Association and six from the UW will make the selection. Nominations will open in December at www.UWalum.com and the deadline is Friday, Jan. 21, 2011.
  • The Distinguished Contributions to Lifelong Learning Award honors faculty who have taught or designed courses, seminars or workshops aimed at working adults and other nontraditional students, and who have received excellent teaching evaluations for that work. To nominate someone for this reward, send a cover letter that describes the number of students served, the length of time the faculty member has participated in lifelong learning activities, and the creativity and innovative nature of these lifelong learning programs. Attach a list of the courses taught and student evaluations in a form that can be compared to a standard UW evaluation form. Nominations should be sent to Dave Szatmary, Box 359492. Or e-mail the material to dszatmar@uw.edu. The deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011.


Award recipients normally receive a cash award of $5,000. However legislation passed in 2010 temporarily bars state employees from receiving cash recognition awards. While this legislation remains in effect, award recipients will be able to choose from non-cash award options provided by the Office of Planning and Budgeting. These include:



  • Provide discretionary funds for employees to enroll in a course of their selection.
  • Provide discretionary funds for employees to enroll and attend an off-site training session or conference.
  • Provide discretionary funds for hiring student workers.
  • Provide discretionary funds for employees to donate to a UW program of their choice.

All of the award winners will be honored at the annual Awards of Excellence event at the end of spring quarter.