Policy Library
380 Faculty Awards
Authority: Approved by the Board of Trustees
Last updated on: March 16, 2023
380.1 Distinguished Teaching Awards
The Indiana State University Board of Trustees has provided for the recognition of outstanding teaching through the creation of the Caleb Mills Distinguished Teaching Award. Excellence in teaching shall be the sole criterion in making the awards.
380.1.1 Number. A maximum of four (4) annual awards may be given, each with a stipend of an appropriate amount and an appropriate tangible symbol to be retained by the recipient.
380.1.2 Requirements. Any tenured faculty member or Senior Instructor who is teaching a minimum of 15 semester hours or 24 contact hours at Indiana State University during the current or previous calendar year is eligible for nomination. Faculty who have been selected previously are not eligible for nomination prior to ten (10) years from their most recent selection.
380.1.3 Selection. Final selection is made by a committee appointed by the University President, and chaired by the non-voting Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
380.1.3.1 Committee. This committee is to be composed of six (6) tenured or senior instructor full-time faculty members, including some past recipients of the award, appointed to two-year staggered terms. Two nominations for each committee vacancy will be forwarded to the Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs from the Faculty Affairs Committee of the University Faculty Senate each fall.
380.1.3.2 Representation. Whenever possible, all of the colleges (with faculty) and the ranks of senior instructor, associate professor/librarian and professor/librarian shall be represented. If a college has no volunteers to serve on the committee, the college shall go without representation.
380.1.3.3 Students Represented. Five (5) outstanding students also serve: two (2) graduates and three (3) undergraduates. These shall be nominated by the Graduate Student Association (GSA) and Student Government Association (SGA), respectively.
380.1.3.4 Eligibility. Committee members may not submit nominations nor be eligible for the award during their years of service on the committee. Members are appointed to staggered two-year terms.
380.1.4 Nomination. Nomination is by letter from any full-time faculty member, student, alumnus/a, or administrator at the University. The Committee solicits further evidence of excellent teaching from the nominees’ students, department chairpersons vitae, and faculty reports of professional activities. The Committee may elect to narrow the field of nominees before soliciting this additional information.
380.2 Research/Creativity Awards
The ISU Board of Trustees has established the Theodore Dreiser Distinguished Research/Creativity Award at Indiana State University for faculty members who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of knowledge. Funds are made available so that a minimum of two (2) and a maximum of four (4) awards, each with a stipend and a plaque certifying this special achievement, may be presented at spring commencement. In each year at least one (1) award should be given in each of the two (2) categories - research and creativity.
380.2.1 Requirements. Candidates for the award must be tenured or tenure-track full-time members of the Indiana State University faculty. In addition, their work must meet the following requirements:
a. Research/creativity other than that completed to satisfy advanced degree requirements.
b. Research/creativity substantially completed while the candidate was a tenured or tenure-track full-time member of the Indiana State University faculty.
c. Research/creativity representing a single major contribution completed within the four (4) years immediately prior to application, or outstanding contributions that have characterized one’s professional life.
d. Research/creativity which represents a contribution of national significance to a candidate’s field of specialization.
380.2.2 Nomination Process. Forms may be obtained from the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. Any tenured or tenure-track full-time faculty member may nominate himself/herself. Faculty, department chairpersons, and deans are encouraged to nominate faculty colleagues. Faculty members who have received an award will be ineligible for consideration again for a four-year period. Nomination forms must be submitted to the College of Graduate and Professional Studies, by December 1 of each year.
380.2.3 Supporting Data. The Dean of the College of Graduate and Professional Studies will collect the supporting data relative to the nominees, and the selection committee will be responsible for any outside correspondence with experts in a candidate’s area of expertise. This correspondence will document the significance of the research/creativity.
380.2.4 Theodore Dreiser Distinguished Research/Creativity Award Committee. Final selection is by the Theodore Dreiser Distinguished Research/Creativity Award Committee. The Dean of the College of Graduate and Professional Studies will serve as chairperson and nonvoting member of the selection committee.
380.2.4.1 Membership. The nine (9) voting members will be selected and appointed before January 15 and will include one (1) representative selected by the Graduate Council, one (1) representative selected by the University Research Committee, one (1) representative selected by the University Arts Endowment Committee, and four (4) other faculty members, one (1) graduate student, and one (1) undergraduate student, selected by the President. Faculty appointees shall serve two-year staggered terms.
380.2.4.2 Faculty Appointments Made by the President. During the fall semester the Faculty Affairs Committee of the University Faculty Senate shall forward nominations for each committee vacancy to the President. Two nominees shall be selected for each vacancy to assure that each college with faculty and the library are represented whenever possible. If a college has no volunteers to serve on the committee, the college shall go without representation.
380.2.4.3 Student Nomination and Appointment. The two (2) student members with voting privileges will be selected from two (2) undergraduate nominees provided by Student Government Association (SGA) and two (2) graduate nominees chosen by the Graduate Student Association (GSA). From the four (4) nominees, the University President will select an undergraduate and a graduate student to serve on the Committee.
380.2.4.4 Limitation on Committee Service. An individual who is a candidate for a Theodore Dreiser Distinguished Research/Creativity Award in any given year may not serve on the selection committee.
380.3 Faculty Distinguished Service Awards
The Indiana State University Board of Trustees has provided for the recognition of outstanding service through the creation of the Faculty Distinguished Service Award. Excellence in, intensity of, long-term commitment to, and tangible evidence of the impact of service are the criteria which shall be considered in making the awards. A maximum of two (2) annual awards may be given with a stipend and an appropriate tangible symbol to be retained by the recipient.
380.3.1 Requirements. Eligible faculty members are those who are senior instructors or are tenured and have demonstrated service while at Indiana State University in the form of membership in faculty governance at the college or University level; membership on committees within the University; service to student organizations; service to professional organizations; and/or service to community groups. Faculty who have been selected previously are not eligible for nomination prior to ten (10) years from their most recent selection.
380.3.2 Selection. Final selection is by a committee appointed by the University President and chaired by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
380.3.3 Nomination. Nomination is by letter from any full-time faculty member, student, alumnus/a, University staff member, or citizen of the Wabash Valley. The committee solicits further evidence of outstanding service from appropriate chairs, deans, students, faculty, and organizations.
380.3.4 Committee. This committee is to be composed of six (6) faculty members who are either senior instructors or are tenured, including some past recipients of the award, appointed to staggered two-year terms. Two nominations for each committee vacancy will be forwarded to the Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs from the Faculty Affairs Committee of the University Faculty Senate for fall.
380.3.4.1 Colleges Represented. Whenever possible, all of the colleges (with faculty) and the ranks of senior instructor, associate professor/librarian and professor/librarian shall be represented. If a college has no volunteers to serve on the committee, the college shall go without representation.
380.3.4.2 Students Represented. Five (5) outstanding students also serve: two (2) graduates and three (3) undergraduates. These shall be nominated by the Graduate Student Association (GSA) and Student Government Association (SGA), respectively.
380.3.4.3 Eligibility. Committee members may not submit nominations nor be eligible for the award during their years of service on the committee.
Related Information
Policy Administrator:
Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic AffairsPolicy Contact:
Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic AffairsParsons Hall 208
(812) 237-2304
ISU-PROVOST@indstate.edu