Teaching Awards FAQ

for the President’s Associates Teaching Excellence Awards, the Joe and Bettie Branson Ward Endowed Excellence Award, the William David Blunk Memorial Professorship, the Dads’ Association Centennial Teaching Fellowship, and the Academy of Distinguished Teachers

Eligibility

A faculty member must have a continuing appointment at the University of Texas at Austin in the year subsequent to their selection. Eligible nominees must be in good standing with the university.

Submission Instructions

Nominations for university faculty teaching awards are submitted by each college or school to the provost’s office. To find out how you may be nominated by your college or school, please reach out to the designated faculty awards contact below.

• All final nomination packages shall be submitted electronically to the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost via Smartsheet from the respective dean’s office. The Provost will invite the award coordinator to UT Box for submission.
• Questions or confirmation regarding award packet submission may be submitted to facultyawards@utexas.edu
• All required nomination documents must be received at the provost’s office by the respective deadline or the nomination may not be considered.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Are examples of past recipient nomination packets available? 

A: Yes, you can read the nomination packages for all of the recipients beginning in 2022 here.

Q: How are Course Instructor Survey data (CIS scores) used in the selection process?

A: The university-wide teaching awards selection process is an annual holistic assessment that evolves with each new selection committee formed from faculty across the disciplines. The committees are instructed to review the chartered guidelines for each award with the autonomy to then create an assessment matrix with CIS scores potentially being one component of the assessment. What we seek with the infusion of new faculty and a freshly interpreted holistic selection process is that awards will reflect the evolution of teaching excellence in its many diverse forms on campus.

Q: Where can information for inclusion in the Course Instructor Data be found?

A: Authorized users for Faculty Profile will now be able to download CIS data into an Excel spreadsheet for use in the award packet. For each faculty member, go to the ‘Courses’ tab in their Faculty Profile. Click on Download Teaching Awards Report link located above the table displaying the course information. This link can be found on the both Organized and Individual Instruction page. Please sort the spreadsheet in reverse chronological order before inserting as a PDF into the award packet.

Q: How should recommendation letters be addressed?

A: Address letters of recommendation to “Award Name Selection Committee”

Q: Page limits for each section of the nomination packet- do these pertain to individual letters or materials included or the total number of pages allowed per section?

A: The page limits for each section are the total number of pages allowed for all materials in that section. For example, the 3-page limit for letters of support means that this section of the nomination packet may not exceed 3 pages total.

Q: How are professional-track faculty defined for faculty awards?

A: Faculty not on a tenure track who are primarily engaged in instruction.