Awards and Nominations

Nomination forms are due March 15 of each year.

• Outstanding Alumnus Award
• Outstanding BILSA Employee Award
• Distinguished BILSA Employee Award
• Thomas and Lee Ann Lindahl Teaching Excellence Award
• Outstanding BILSA Academic Advisor
• Jerry and Barbara Strohm Award for Excellence in Teaching

Nominate BILSA Faculty/Staff

Nominate a Friend or Alumni

This award acknowledges extraordinary contributions to the College by a current employee with less than 10 years of service to the college. He or she should have demonstrated excellence of performance in their job tasks. In addition, the person will have gone above and beyond job expectations to provide outstanding service to the College. Secondary consideration is given for service to the university and/or community. Posthumous nominations will not be accepted.

This award acknowledges extraordinary contributions to the College by a current or former employee with 10 years or more service to the College. He or she should have demonstrated excellence of performance in their job tasks. In addition, the person will have gone above and beyond job expectations to provide outstanding service to the College. Secondary consideration is given for service to the university and/or community. Posthumous nominations will not be accepted.

The Thomas and Lee Ann Lindahl Teaching Excellence Award recognizes faculty and instructional academic staff in the College of BILSA who demonstrate high teaching standards and clearly demonstrate a commitment to students.

Specific criteria to be considered in the selection of the recipients of this award include the following:

1. Excellent student evaluations of instruction in a variety of courses,
2. Recognition of excellence in instruction by one’s peers within a department/school,
3. Recognition of excellence in teaching materials, curriculum, teaching techniques, and strategies by one’s peers within a discipline and with others outside the immediate college and university,
4. Recognition of excellence in advising of students over an extended period of time,
5. Recognition of superior service to students through student organizations and activities,
6. Development of teaching materials and activities that are shared with peers to assist in their teaching activities for teaching improvement,
7. Assistance provided to students who are seeking positions for internships, placement, and graduate education,
8. Other efforts and activities that indicate excellence in teaching and serving students.

The amount of the annual professional development award will be based on the annual earnings of the endowment and the growth of the endowment principal itself. Posthumous nominations will not be accepted.

Effective advising is a high-impact practice in relation to student retention. The recipients of the Outstanding Academic Advisor Award exemplify the best qualities of faculty and academic staff advisors. The award will consist of a $500 professional development grant and recognition on our BILSA Outstanding Advisor commemorative plaque. Advisors are eligible to win this award every seven years.

BILSA faculty or academic staff that serve as an academic advisor to students are eligible to receive the award. Evidence of qualities and practices that distinguish the nominee as an outstanding academic advisor may include:

• Strong interpersonal skills,
• Frequency of contact with advisees,
• Appropriate referral activity,
• Use and dissemination of appropriate information sources,
• Caring, helpful attitude toward advisees, faculty and staff,
• Availability to advisees, faculty and staff,
• Evidence of student success rate, by advisor or department,
• Advisee or unit evaluations (summary data)
• Monitoring of student progress toward academic and career goals,
• Participation in and support of intrusive advising,
• Mastery of institutional regulations, policies and procedures,
• Ability to engage in, promote, and support developmental advising,
• Participation in and support of advising development programs,
• Perception by colleagues of nominee's advising skills.

The nomination process begins by the submission of a letter of nomination by students, colleagues, or the advisor. The selection committee chair will then ask the nominee for a letter that describes his or her advising philosophy and related experiences as well as the number of advisees for which the advisor is responsible.

Nominees may also submit up to three letters of support from colleagues and/or students, with no more than two of the letters coming from students. Posthumous nominations will not be accepted.

The Jerry and Barbara Strohm Award for Excellence in Teaching recognizes faculty in the College of BILSA (even years) and the College of LA&E (odd years) who demonstrate high teaching standards and clearly demonstrate a commitment to students.

Specific criteria to be considered in the selection of the recipients of this award include the following:

• Excellent student evaluations of instruction in a variety of courses,
• Recognition of excellence in instruction by one’s peers within a department/school,
• Recognition of excellence in teaching materials, curriculum, teaching techniques, and strategies by one’s peers within a discipline and with others outside the immediate college and university,
• Recognition of excellence in advising of students over an extended period of time,
• Recognition of superior service to students through student organizations and activities,
• Development of teaching materials and activities that are shared with peers to assist in their teaching activities for teaching improvement,
• Assistance provided to students who are seeking positions for internships, placement, and graduate education,
• Other efforts and activities that indicate excellence in teaching and serving students.

The award will consist of $500 towards professional development and a plaque. Posthumous nominations will not be accepted.