Faculty and Staff Awards

Submit Your Nominations for the College Faculty and Staff Awards

Each year the College recognizes Faculty and Staff for three Awards.

Master Teacher Awards

The College of Health and Human Services solicits nominations for its annual Master Teacher Award, which recognizes and rewards excellence in teaching within the College. These awards will be made to:

  1. A full-time senior faculty member (with 7 or more years of teaching experience);
  2. A full-time junior faculty member (with at least 3 but no more than 6 years of teaching experience); and
  3. An adjunct faculty member.

Criteria: These awards will recognize sustained, outstanding performance and contributions to the instructional mission of the College, through excellence in one or more of the following areas: 1) classroom teaching, 2) curriculum development, 3) preparation of instructional materials, 4) new techniques and modes of instruction, and 5) student advisement and direction. Each recipient must have at least 3 years of teaching service to the College.

Selection: Selection will be made annually by an ad hoc committee, appointed by the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, from among nominations made by unit administrators. If you have a colleague in mind to nominate, please send the name to your department chair. Each unit may nominate one candidate each year for each award.

Nomination: Nominations must be submitted by April 3, 2020 to the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs in electronic format and must be accompanied by: 1) at least 3 supporting letters, from the chair or director, other faculty in the department, students, or administrators outside the College with knowledge of the candidate’s contributions; and 2) other appropriate evidence of teaching excellence (e.g., course evaluations, teaching materials, and documentation of student achievement, teaching innovations, and curriculum development).

Recognition: Awards will be announced annually in the spring and presented at a college-wide ceremony. Each recipient will receive a special “Master Teacher” award and $250 for each category. The college will maintain and display a “master teacher” plaque with each recipient’s name inscribed annually.

Awards:

  • Master Teacher Award for a Senior Faculty Member in the College of Health and Human Services. Recognizes sustained, outstanding performance and contributions to the instructional mission of the College, through excellence in: 1) classroom teaching, 2) curriculum development, 3) preparation of instructional materials, 4) new techniques and modes of instruction, and 5) student advisement and direction.
  • Master Teacher Award for a Junior Faculty Member in the College of Health and Human Services. Recognizes sustained, outstanding performance and contributions to the instructional mission of the College, through excellence in: 1) classroom teaching, 2) curriculum development, 3) preparation of instructional materials, 4) new techniques and modes of instruction, and 5) student advisement and direction.
  • Master Teacher Award for an Adjunct Faculty Member in the College of Health and Human Services. Recognizes sustained, outstanding performance and contributions to the instructional mission of the College, through excellence in classroom teaching.

Teaching Innovation Awards

Teaching Innovation Awards
College of Health and Human Services
George Mason University

The College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) solicits nominations for its inaugural Teaching Innovation Awards which has been established to recognize faculty who have demonstrated excellence in teaching innovation. The College will bestow these awards upon a full-time and an adjunct faculty who demonstrated pedagogical approaches to teaching in in-person, hybrid, or online courses that is truly innovative during the last calendar year (Spring 2019, Summer 2019, or Fall 2019).

Criteria:  Recipients of this award will have demonstrated genuine innovation in one or more of the following areas:

1) Evidence of Growth and Reflective Practice as a Teacher.

Examples may include:

  • Explores new, creative, and innovative strategies, tools, and technologies, guided by specific learning outcomes.

  • Demonstrates self-awareness of values, strengths and weaknesses of innovative teaching and learning strategies.

  • Builds upon evidence-based learning and teaching practices.

  • Engages in cycles of continuous course improvements by seeking feedback from students and peers to improve quality in course design and teaching. 

  • Incorporates standards for teaching excellence such as the Quality Matters Rubric.

2) Innovative Learner Engagement

Examples may include:

  • Creates an accessible course that follows universal design standards.

  • Designs project-based learning centered courses that facilitate the development of essential workforce skills including, collaboration, communication, problem solving, and critical thinking especially in the context of inter-professional practice.

  • Provides opportunities for instructor-student, student-student, and student-content interaction, to foster mastery and application of course material.

  • Builds a learning community, creating an inclusive, supportive, respectful, and engaging climate for learning.

  • Explores novel ways of creatively/critically thinking about disciplines, examining diverse perspectives and processes from across disciplines, and integrating varying approaches to solving complex real-world problems.

 3) Innovative Student Learning Assessment

Examples may include:

  • Designs and implements innovative activities, assignments, and assessments that are meaningful, purposeful, and relevant to the course learning outcomes.

  • Includes activities, assignments, and assessments that leverage technology affordances.

  • Uses a variety of innovative formative and summative methods to assess student learning and mastery of content.

  • Shows how learning was transformative in the course.

  • Supports student success and growth as a health professional.

Selection:  Recipients of the Teaching Innovation Awards will be selected annually, by an ad hoc committee appointed by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, from among nominations made by unit administrators. If you would like to be considered for this award, or if you know of a colleague you would like to nominate, please send your name or the nominee’s name to your unit administrator. 

Each unit may nominate one candidate each year for each award. Nominations must be submitted to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in electronic format and must include the following:

1) A description of the innovation (maximum 1,000 words or two single-spaced pages), provided by the nominee, addressing one or more of the following:

  • Description of what motivated the teaching innovation. Describe the issue or challenge it was designed to address or the opportunity it was designed to leverage.

  • How the innovation was implemented.

  • How the innovation impacted student learning and/or engagement. Examples include evidence of changes in students' performance on tests/assignments, attendance, participation, attitudes, use of instructional materials, etc.

2) Up to three supporting materials associated with the innovation, provided by the nominee.

Examples may include:

  • Assignment description

  • Grading rubric,

  • URLs for instructional resources, screenshots or screencasts, lesson plan, video, etc.

Nominees in all three categories may elect to invite committee members to review content posted to Blackboard. If Blackboard review is requested, instructional design staff are available to assist with maintaining student privacy.

3) At least 3 supporting letters. One letter must be from a student. Additional letters may be from the chair or director, other faculty in the department, additional students, or administrators with knowledge of the innovation.

Recognition:  Awards will be announced annually in the spring and presented at a college-wide ceremony. Each recipient will receive $250 and a special “Innovation” award.  Recipients are also required to deliver a presentation of their teaching innovation during the CHHS Teaching Seminar Series.

Deadline: Nomination packages must be received no later than close of business on Friday, April 3, 2020.

Award text adapted from the CHHS Master Teacher Award, the Stearns Center Online Teaching Excellence Award, the Carnegie Mellon Teaching Innovation Award, the Cornell Innovative Teaching & Learning Award, and the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Teaching Excellence and Innovation Awards.

Staff Awards

Eligibility

CHHS classified staff, administrative faculty and non-student wage employees are eligible for CHHS Staff Awards.

Award Categories

Junior Employee of the Year **(Deadline for 2020 award extended to April 3, 2020)**

Recognizes an outstanding employee who has been at CHHS 6 months to 24 months. Cash award of $250.

Senior Employee of the Year 

Recognizes an outstanding employee who has been at CHHS employed at CHHS 24+ months. Cash award of $250.

Staff Innovation Award **(Deadline for 2020 award extended to April 3, 2020)**

Honors individual staff whose innovative approach to problem solving helped add value to the College’s operations.  Cash award of $250. 

Staff Leadership Award **(Deadline for 2020 award extended to April 3, 2020)**

Celebrates staff member in the College who exhibited consistent excellence in leadership.  Cash award of $250.

Exemplary Service Award

Celebrates staff member in the College for exemplary service and support towards achieving the vision and mission of the college.  Cash award of $450.

Nominations

Each nomination packet is to be sent via email to chhsawrd@gmu.edu no later than 5:00 PM on February 20th of each year (for 2020 several award deadlines have been extended, see above).  Please enter “Staff Recognition Nomination” in the subject line.