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Distinguished Teaching Award

The $1,500 Distinguished Teaching Award is an extraordinary honor bestowed on those faculty who, regardless of rank, have exhibited a history of excellence in classroom teaching and have demonstrated a quality long-term impact upon their students.


Who is eligible:
Any tenured or tenure-track faculty member who has not previously received a Distinguished Teaching Award.

Who may nominate:
All UM faculty, deans and department chairpersons. (No self-nominations.) Documentation may be compiled by the nominee, his or her chairperson or any faculty member, although it is typically forwarded by the chair.

Nomination requirements:
  • completed nomination form (.docx|.pdf).
  • nomination letter (limited to two pages).

Unsuccessful nomination information from previous years may be made current and resubmitted.

The best letters of nomination tend to include specific detail that supports the generalizations made about teaching excellence.

Additional materials for selected finalists:

The Advisory Board for the Center for Teaching Excellence will select up to four finalists for the award and solicit additional information for those candidates, including:

  • a list of courses taught.
  • teaching evaluations.
  • evidence of multiple strategies for good classroom teaching.
  • assessment plans that demonstrate student learning.
  • letters of support.
  • authored textbooks and laboratory manuals used outside UM.
  • authored papers on teaching techniques in education journals.
  • evidence of students' success following graduation.
  • presentations relative to teaching methods.
  • statement of nominee's teaching philosophy
  • any other evidence of distinguished teaching.

Send nominations to:
Arlene Walker-Andrews
Office of the Provost
University Hall 126

2010-2011 Winner

Jonathan Graham
Professor, Department of Mathematical Sciences

Previous recipients include Teresa Beed, James Jacobs, Sara Hayden, Jill M. Belsky, Maryellen Campbell, and David Friend.


Deadline for Nominations: February 29, 2012

Deadline for committees/individuals selecting recipients to forward the names to the Office of the President: March 15, 2012

Awards will be presented at:

UM Employee Recognition Day
April 20, 2012
Details forthcoming