Call for Nominations – Faculty Awards

Dear Colleagues,

​​​​I am pleased to call for nominations for our distinguished faculty awards, including University Distinguished Professors, Regents Professors, University Distinguished Outreach Faculty, Distinguished Scholars, Early Career Awards, Leicester & Kathryn Sherril Award, Gerald J. Swanson Award, Henry & Phyllis Koffler Award, and Provost Author Funds. In addition, this year we are pleased to announce the following new faculty awards:

• Distinguished Heads/Directors award,
• Distinguished Innovation & Entrepreneurship award, and
• Early Career Innovation & Entrepreneurship award.

These awards are the highest faculty honors that our university bestows. They allow us to recognize the contributions of outstanding colleagues who have had significant impacts locally, nationally, and globally. I appreciate your assistance in nominating candidates who are worthy of these honors. Harnessing the power of diversity is one of the University's core values, we strongly value and are eager to recognize a diverse representation of faculty.

Awards Descriptions

The University Distinguished Professors award was created in 1995 by former President Manuel Pacheco to recognize faculty whose careers have made a profound difference in students' lives. These outstanding role models lead by example, using the integration and application of innovative concepts in both their research and teaching endeavors. This award conveys the title of University Distinguished Professor and carries a $5,000 increase to base salary. Up to two awards will be made each year.

The University Distinguished Outreach Faculty award was established in 2003 by President Peter Likins to recognize faculty who have made outstanding contributions to outreach at the University of Arizona, in the State of Arizona, the nation and internationally, and have demonstrated sustained excellence in the University's purpose: "Working together to expand human potential, explore new horizons and enrich life for all." This award conveys the title of University Distinguished Outreach Professor, and a $5,000 increase to base salary. Up to two awards will be made each year.

The Distinguished Scholar awards are granted to three outstanding recently tenured and mid-career faculty who are making transformative contributions to their disciplines and to our purpose, mission and values. Candidates will be judged on the evidence that they are achieving national/international recognition, evidence that they have demonstrated significant breakthroughs in their scholarship, innovations in teaching, or in service contributions to the university.  Those who are selected will receive a one-time award of $10,000 in University funds to facilitate further work within their discipline and the title of Distinguished Scholar.

The Distinguished Heads/Directors Award is being launched for the first time this year. The quality and reputation of the University has been significantly raised by contributions of those heads or directors whose vision, courage, standards, and effectiveness have been transformative. This Award recognizes such uncommon performance, calling attention to individuals whose leadership has raised the standards, expectations, and reputation of the academic unit, or who have otherwise brought excellence, innovation, and high ethical standards to the art of being a unit head or director. Recipients will receive a Provost citation at a ceremony of their peers and a one-time award of $1,000. Up to 2 awards will be given out each year.

The Distinguished and Early Career Innovation & Entrepreneurship awards were created in 2021 to recognize individuals who have demonstrated significant impact in any aspect of research, commercialization, or education through innovation and / or entrepreneurship, making exceptional contributions. Distinguished recipients will receive a one-time allocation of $5,000 in University funds for research purposes to facilitate further work within their discipline. Early career recipients will receive a one-time award of $2,500. Up to one 1 award per category will be given out each year.

The Early Career Awards recognize tenure-eligible faculty who are at the forefront of their disciplines and making highly valued contributions to the teaching, creative activity, and service priorities. Recipients will receive a one-time allocation of $5,000 in university funds to facilitate further work within their discipline.

The Gerald J. Swanson Prize for Teaching Excellence was created through a gift from the Thomas R. Brown Foundation in honor of Gerald G. Swanson, University of Arizona Professor Emeritus. This prize is designed to recognize excellence in undergraduate teaching at the University of Arizona. The awardees will receive a one-time allocation of $5,000 per award. Up to 5 awards will be given out each year.

We offer awards that recognize the significant contributions of faculty in teaching, research or service through the Leicester and Kathryn Sherrill Creative Teaching Award which recognizes excellence in the art of teaching at all levels, with emphasis on teaching at the undergraduate level. The awardee will receive a one-time allocation of $2,500. The Henry and Phyllis Koffler Prize of 2022 recognizes outstanding accomplishments in public service/outreach. The awardee will receive a one-time allocation of $10,000.

I am pleased to continue to offer the Provost's Author Support Fund for special production charges associated with permissions, figures, photographs, indexing, or production of scholarly book-length manuscripts or other creative works accepted for publication and accompanied by formal reviews with allocations up to $1,500 in university funds.

Visit the Honors and Awards page on the Faculty Affairs website for more information for the awards above. Submit applications via UA Competition Space by Friday, Dec. 3, 2021 at 4 p.m.

Additionally, we will continue the Provost Award for Innovations in Teaching that recognize candidates who are going through the 2021-2022 promotion review and whose teaching portfolios and instructional effectiveness merit special recognition. More information on making these nominations is included in the Promotion Dossier Template Section 9.

Regents Professors

These awards are reserved for faculty members with exceptional achievements that have brought them national or international distinction. The title serves as recognition of the highest merit of faculty members who have made a unique contribution to the quality of the University through distinguished accomplishments in teaching scholarship, research, or creative work.  The award conveys the title of Regents Professor and a $5,000 increase to base salary and annual funding allocation of $10,000.

Submit applications by noon on Monday, Nov. 1. Visit the Regents Professors page for more information.

More Information:

• Online submission via UA Competition Space
• Complete awards descriptions and criteria
• Regents Professors
• Provost Award for Innovations in Teaching
• Past honorees and awards recipients