Name of Award
Penn State Harrisburg Award for Excellence in Teaching
Purpose of Award
To recognize and encourage excellence in teaching at Penn State Harrisburg
Eligibility
Full-time Penn State Harrisburg faculty members whose primary responsibility is teaching and who have been employed continuously for a minimum of three years. Previous recipients will not be eligible for a period of five years.
Nomination Procedure
Each faculty member/administrator may submit one nomination no later than the deadline, as posted on the Faculty and Staff Awards page. The nominee, who should be notified promptly of the nomination, will supply all the appropriate supporting material to the Chancellor’s office.
Description of the Award
Each teaching award will consist of a $500 check and a framed certificate. The awards will be presented at the Annual Faculty /Staff Awards Convocation or other appropriate public ceremony.
Composition of the Awards Committee
The Awards Committee will consist of the two of most recent recipients of the award, two faculty representatives selected by Faculty Senate, and a student representative selected by the Student Government Association.
Selection Process
The Teaching Awards Committee will review the nominations and make recommendations to the Chancellor. If the committee does not believe that any of the nominees meets the criteria, the committee may recommend that no award be given. There is no requirement that the award be presented annually.
Supporting Materials
Each nominee should provide sufficient supporting material to help the committee understand the quality of her/his teaching. This material should be organized carefully in portfolio form and must include at least the following information:
- A statement certifying that the nominee meets the eligibility requirements.
- A record of the nominee’s service to the individual campus, including date of appointment, dates of promotion in rank, and specific courses [with enrollment information] offered during the past three years.
- A curriculum vitae (CV).
- A statement explaining the nominee’s teaching philosophy (maximum length: 3 pages or 750 words) similar to the statements used typically for promotion or tenure.
- A statement explaining the nominee’s teaching philosophy similar to the statements used typically in the promotion and tenure dossiers. This statement should include information about innovative teaching practices, instructional materials developed, new courses developed, major course improvement projects, grants or awards relating to teaching, and assessments of teaching by both students and peers. Instructional activities outside the classroom will also be reviewed.
Such activities may include but are not limited to advisory activities, instructional activity in the community, and/or presentations related to teaching made at professional meetings. - Copies of representative syllabi and other teaching materials, the Student Rating of Teaching Effectiveness scores, and the qualitative comment sheets from the last three years (limited in length to several pages).
The total length of the nomination packet (except the CV) should not exceed 10 pages.
Nominees must submit this documentation to the Chancellor’s Office by the due date. The deadline for submission of materials will be made part of the announcement that calls for nominations.