Excellence in Teaching

Award Description:

This award recognizes the vital importance of teaching and mentoring students as significant components of faculty duties that are central to the university’s mission. 

Award Selection Guidelines:

The selection committee reads candidates' files closely in order to identify excellence in classroom teaching and student mentorship. In the nominating letter and candidate statement the committee evaluates the candidate’s innovation and evidence-based teaching methods. The committee will also evaluate nominees based on teaching and mentoring activities that that embrace C.U. Boulder's commitment to Inclusive Excellence and/or Sustainability have a positive impact on underserved student populations. Finally, the committee evaluates student letters that highlight the unique attributes that make the nominee an excellent professor and mentor.

Nomination Packet Requirements - 20 page maximum 

Teaching packets must be submitted as a single pdf document and named “nominee first name.nominee last name and submitted in the following order:

  • Nomination Statement – 2-page max
  • Nominee Personal Statement – 2-page max
  • CV – abbreviated 4-page max 
  • Letters from faculty and extended educational community – 2-page max for each letter
    • 2 Internal letters of recommendation
    • 2 External letters of recommendation
  • Student Statements of Support – Minimum of 2 statements with a total page limit of 4 

Requirements for letters of support:

  • All letters must be addressed to the nominator, not the nominee
  • Letters may be from an individual or can be prepared and jointly signed by more than one person 
  • Internal letters must come from CU Boulder campus faculty. The faculty member may be from the nominee’s home department/unit or from another department/unit on campus.
  • External letters cannot be from faculty rostered in the nominee’s home unit. External letters should come from the extended community and may include:
    • CU faculty who are not in the nominee’s rostered department
    • Faculty outside of CU Boulder
    • Educational administrators – internal or external to CU
    • Other K-12 school staff or community partners
  • Student statements of support:
    • may be in a traditional letter format or 
    • may be short paragraphs that have been cut and pasted into one document
    • total page count for student statements may not exceed 4 pages 

Recommendations for Letters of Support:

  • Review the selection guidelines above for the areas of research that will be emphasized by the selection committee
  • Solicit internal and external letters from the individuals best qualified to comment on those areas.
  • When requesting faculty letters of support, please let letter-writers know in advance that there is a 2-page maximum. 
  • Recommendations for student statements/letters:
    • Statements should describe specific moments in the classroom or in other realms of mentorship that show exceptional dedication to the craft of teaching or care for students. 
    • Successful student statements will describe what happened, why it was impactful, and the long- or short-term effects of the candidate’s teaching 
  • Submit nomination packets several days in advance of the deadline for an internal office requirement review. 

Packet Submission Instructions:

  • Materials must be saved as one nomination packet in a single PDF file titled: NomineeFirstName.NomineeLastName.pdf
  • Submit the packet to via email to: bfa@colorado.edu prior to or by midnight on the submission deadline of Friday, January 31, 2024.
  • Nominators/Nomination Committees are strongly advised to check with the BFA office early as they assemble their packets to ensure packet requirements are met.
  • Nominators/Nomination Committees are advised to turn in their packet at least 2-3 days prior to the deadline for requirements review.
    • Packets submitted a day or more in advance of the deadline will be allowed to fix issues with their packets.
    • Packets turned in the day of the submission deadline will not be allowed to fix any issues with their packets.

Please note:

  • Nominees must be members of the Boulder Faculty Senate as defined by CU Regent Law and the CU Faculty Senate Constitution.
  • The selection process gives preference to nominees who have been with the University of Colorado for at least five years.
  • Nominated faculty must be in good standing with the University in order to be considered.
  • Although faculty may receive the award for a given category only once, they are eligible to receive awards in either of the other two categories in different years.
  • If your nominee is selected for the award, every person who contributed a letter of support will be invited to the Excellence Awards ceremony.
  • Nominees who are not selected in a given year may choose to be considered one additional time the following academic year.

Please read through the FAQ's below. If you have any questions about the nomination process contact the BFA office at bfa@colorado.edu, or call at 303-492-6271

FAQs

If a packet is turned in prior to the deadline date, nominators will be given the opportunity to revise and fix the packet. If the packet is turned in on the day of the deadline, it will be cut internally at page maximums. In some extreme cases a packet may be rejected.

Unless a packet is submitted in advance (see above) any nomination packet item that exceeds the page maximum will be cut at the required page maximum.

A partial page is counted as a full page and will be cut at the 2nd page or page maximum.

Nominators are asked to let writers know there is a page maximum when they request the letter. Letters will be cut at the page maximum. See 1, 2, & 3 above.

A student statement most often comes as an e-mail response of 1 or 2 paragraphs. A nominator/nominating committee is welcome to combine several of these by cutting and pasting into a separate document. Names and class information should be included. Most often letters will come from graduate or former students. There is a 4-page total maximum for student statements/letters.

Not necessarily. Not all letters/statements of support are equal. It is up to the nominator/nominating committee to determine which and how many letters or pages of student support should be included. Nominators/nominating committees should submit the strongest packet overall that provides the best information for the selection committee to review, while adhering to all page maximums. The selection committee will evaluate student statements based on the specific and unique traits of the candidate.

See the above requirements for letters of support. Letters of support should demonstrate to the selection committee broad support for the nominee and their work both inside and outside the nominee’s unit and/or university.