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Faculty Senate

Teaching Excellence Award

The Award

Each year the Angelo State University Faculty Senate awards the Angelo State University Teaching Excellence Award (ASU TEA) to a deserving full-time faculty member. This award has been established to provide recognition and encouragement for excellence in teaching. The honorees will be awarded: 1) a certificate naming them as Angelo State University Teaching Excellence Award winners for the given year; and 2) a cash honorarium ($1200 for the top nominee and $700 for the two runners-up) at a public ceremony that may be separate or a part of an already established event that honors teaching and student academic achievements. A plaque acknowledging their meritorious teaching will be placed in the Angelo State University Houston Harte University Center.

Eligibility

All current faculty members who have held a full-time appointment on the faculty of Angelo State University for three academic years are eligible for nomination. [An academic year consists of the fall and spring semesters.] There is no limit on the number of applications coming from each academic college or department, nor is there a limit on the number of times a faculty member can be nominated. In years where one outstanding applicant and/or two runners-up cannot be identified, no awards will be given.

Nominations

The Academic Affairs Committee of the Faculty Senate is responsible for soliciting, judging, and ranking applicants, and will recommend to the full Senate the top-ranking applicant and two runners-up. The Academic Affairs Committee will solicit applications at the end of the fall semester and beginning of the spring semester. A descriptive flyer about the ASU TEA application will be sent to the department heads, the deans’ offices, and the President of the Student Senate. Also, an e-mail announcement of the award information will be sent to all faculty and staff. Faculty members will be asked to announce the award information in their classes. Since this award honors a teacher’s personal interactions with students, students must be involved in the nominating process. The chair of the Academic Affairs Committee will contact the RamPage as early as possible in the semester with information regarding the purpose of ASU TEA and as a means of encouraging student input. An ASU TEA Web page that describes the award (including all past winners) will be linked to ASU’s homepage with high visibility. Self-nominations will not be accepted. The deadline for full and complete applications to be received by the Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee by a date TBA. The application materials must include:

  1. Cover letter from at least one sponsoring ASU faculty member or administrator.
  2. Current curriculum vitae
  3. Letters of recommendation. [Recommendation letters from current and former students are particularly useful.]
  4. The Academic Affairs Committee may approach other referees for further evidence of teaching excellence.

The Angelo State University Teaching Excellence Award winner will also be the University’s nominee for the Piper Professor Award, except in years where the university is ineligible as set forth in the Piper Professor guidelines for eligibility. In years in which Angelo State University is eligible for the Piper Professor Award, each ASU TEA applicant must also complete a Piper Professor Award application. The Piper Professor award honors higher education excellence and is awarded each year to only ten professors across the state.

Angelo State University is eligible for the 2001-2002 Piper Professor Award; therefore, applicants this year must complete a Piper Professor Award application.

Award Criteria

The ASU TEA is an annual award, honoring three faculty members for their dedication to the teaching profession and for their outstanding academic, scientific, and scholarly achievement. However, the principal purpose of this award is to give recognition to the teaching profession, rather than to research, publication, administration, or other such related activity. Since the ASU TEA identifies and honors effective and dedicated teachers, the Academic Affairs Committee requires information about the nominee’s teaching. For example:

Is there evidence that the nominee is particularly effective in the classroom and in personal contact with students?

The honorees will be awarded a certificate naming them as Angelo State University Teaching Excellence Award winners for that year and a cash honorarium  ($1200 for the top nominee and $700 for the two runners-up) at a public ceremony that may be separate or a part of an already established event that honors teaching and student academic achievements

Past TEA Winners

2007-2008

Winner:
Runner up:
Runner up:

2006-2007

Winner: Trey Smith, Mathematics
Runner up: Gloria Duarte, English
Runner up: Carolyn Mason, Physical Therapy

2005-2006

Winner: Terry Maxwell, Biology
Runner up: John Wegner, English
Runner up: Jana Barnard, Mathematics

2004-2005

Winner: Chris Ellery, English
Runner up: Pat Turner, Communications
Runner up: Linda Ferguson, Nursing

2003-2004

Winner: Connie Russell, Biology
Runner up: Leigh Harbin, English
Runner up: Marilyn Eisenwine, Education

2002-2003

Winner: Robert Dowler, Biology
Runner up: Terry Dalrymple, English
Runner up: S. Murat Kara, Acct, Econ, & Fin

2001-2002

Winner: Mary Ellen Hartje, English
Runner up: Paul Osmanski, Nursing

2000-2001

Winner: Ellen D. Moreland, Mathematics
Runner up: Mark Hama, English