Nominations are open for the Distinguished Teaching Awards

Nominations are now open for the UO’s Distinguished Teaching Awards, the university’s highest teaching honors. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 15.

The awards  celebrate faculty members for their contributions to engaged, inclusive and research-led teaching at the University of Oregon.

“The UO has a venerable tradition of recognizing and celebrating exceptional teachers with the Ersted and Herman Teaching Awards,” said Gabe Paquette, vice provost for academic affairs. “UO is the rare research university that values teaching excellence and actively promotes effective teaching practices.”

The Distinguished Teaching Awards include:

  • The Ersted Award for Distinguished Teaching, recognizing excellence in teaching by faculty members early in their careers.
  • The Ersted Award for Specialized Pedagogy, recognizing faculty who have demonstrated exceptional teaching abilities and who have expertise in a particular area of teaching.
  • The Thomas F. Herman Faculty Achievement Award for Distinguished Teaching, given to senior career instructional or tenure-track faculty members who have demonstrated longstanding excellence in teaching and who have significantly contributed to student learning at the undergraduate or graduate level.
  • The Herman Award for Specialized Pedagogy, honoring senior faculty members for outstanding achievement in a focused area of teaching.
  • The Herman Award for Outstanding Online Education, recognizing faculty members at any stage of their careers who have demonstrated innovation and creativity in implementing excellent learning experiences using the online or hybrid format.

A committee of career instructional and tenure-track faculty members select the awardees. The Office of the Provost convenes the committee and administers the process. To nominate a faculty member for one of the awards by the deadline, use the online survey.

Four marble apples and two crystal apples will be distributed to the selected faculty members for demonstrating excellence in the classroom. The names of the recipients are kept secret until the faculty members are surprised with their awards during a class or meeting.

Information about the Distinguished Teaching Awards can be found on the Office of the Provost website.