Nominations for annual Distinguished Teaching Awards now open

The Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs is seeking nominations for the university’s highest teaching honors. The Ersted and Herman Distinguished Teaching Awards honor faculty excellence and celebrate engaged, inclusive and research-led teaching.

Faculty, staff and students can n­ominate faculty members online until Feb. 9.

“These important and prestigious awards help us recognize faculty who demonstrate excellence in the classroom, who take steps to ensure all students have a sense of belonging and whose passion for continued development translates pedagogical scholarship into active teaching and learning,” said Sierra Dawson, assistant vice provost for academic affairs and Distinguished Teaching Awards Committee chair.

The iconic “crystal apples” will be bestowed on two faculty members — one senior and one early-career — for demonstrated excellence in the classroom.

Three Oregon-made myrtlewood apples will be awarded for pedagogical innovations, and one myrtlewood apple will be given for exceptional online instruction.

The awards recipients are announced in May, when the president and provost drop in to surprise unsuspecting faculty members in their classrooms.

The Ersted and Herman Distinguished Teaching Awards are conferred by the provost based on recommendation by the awards committee.