Goergen Awards
The generous support of University Trustee Robert Goergen and his wife, Pamela, enables the College to recognize, reward and encourage strong and innovative undergraduate teaching. The Goergen Awards, presented at the College Convocation each September since 1997, demonstrate the range of contributions to undergraduate learning by members of the College faculty and staff, both individually and collectively. A few years ago the Goergens reaffirmed their support for these awards, and for the College, by committing to funding them for 20 more years. There are three categories of awards, honoring different contributions to undergraduate education:
- Award for Distinguished Achievement and Artistry in Undergraduate Teaching
- Award for Curricular Achievement in Undergraduate Education
- Award for Distinguished Contributions to Undergraduate Learning
The deadline for nominations for 2008 is April 30th. All nominations must be submitted to the Dean of the College, Richard Feldman. Questions about these awards should be directed to Myra Henry at (585) 273-5001 or via e-mail. Selections will be made by the Provost, the Dean of the Faculty, and the Dean of The College.
Distinguished Achievement & Artistry in Undergraduate Teaching
The Goergen Award for Distinguished Achievement and Artistry in Undergraduate Teaching recognizes the distinctive accomplishments and skills of individual teachers in undergraduate courses in the College. The Award aims to acknowledge the full scope of work that contributes to excellence in undergraduate education. It can be given for distinguished teaching in large introductory courses or advanced seminars. In addition to being given for superior classroom performance, it can recognize innovation in course design or teaching methods, the creative use of educational technology, the integration of research and teaching, the capacity to elicit superior work from students, or other pedagogical skills.
The College invites nominations from all sectors of the College: undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, staff members, and administrators. Award nominations should make a case for distinctive achievement in undergraduate teaching. All nominations should include: the nominee’s curriculum vitae; the nominator’s statement supporting the nominee; a statement by the nominee about teaching philosophy and the way in which this has been incorporated into courses and course development; and a summary of the courses taught, SCOQ numbers, and comments from the SCOQ survey. The nomination may include letters of support from faculty colleagues who have substantial knowledge of the nominee’s teaching or innovation in curricular or pedagogical areas; letters from students, teaching assistants or others who have been influenced by the nominee’s activities; and other supporting documents highlighting excellence, such as articles or news items about educational innovations, reviews of grants related to pedagogy or course development, or awards. Students wishing to make nominations are encouraged to work with the nominee's department to assemble the required documentation.
The Selection Committee may make one or more annual awards of no less than $5,000 each.
Curricular Achievement in Undergraduate Education
The Goergen Award for Curricular Achievement in Undergraduate Education recognizes excellence in undergraduate educational programs in the College. Programs sponsored by academic units of the College—majors (departmental and interdepartmental), minors, clusters, certificate programs, centers, institutes, or integrated sets of courses that illustrate a distinctive approach to learning—are eligible for the award. The award will recognize either recent innovations or ongoing excellence in the curriculum offered by the academic unit.
All nominations should include letters from an academic leader of the unit, and may include letters from others who have been influenced by the nominee and other supporting documents highlighting excellence, such as articles or news items about educational innovations, reviews of grants related to pedagogy or course development, or awards.
The Selection Committee may make an award between $10,000 and $20,000, as a one-time supplement to the annual budget of the academic unit that sponsors or houses the program. A meaningful portion of the award is to be used to develop and enhance the program that is being recognized. The award may be given to one academic unit or, where appropriate, divided between two.
Distinguished Contributions to Undergraduate Learning
The Goergen Award for Distinguished Contributions to Undergraduate Learning in the College recognizes groups, individuals, officers, or committees, in or related to the College, who make marked, enduring and significant contributions to improving the learning environment for undergraduates.
Candidates for the award include organizations and committees, as well as individual faculty members and administrators, who have decisively improved undergraduate learning. Because the award is intended to advance undergraduate learning broadly, a candidate for this award could include, for example, an especially effective undergraduate advisor or librarian, or a particularly relevant student support office. An objective of this award is to recognize the expansive range of activities that make the highest quality of undergraduate learning possible and should be especially sensitive to issues of creativity, leadership and responsive to service to undergraduates.
All members of the College community are invited to submit nominations for this award. All nominations should include the nominee’s name and the nominator’s statement supporting the nominee. The nomination may include letters from students, teaching assistants or others who have been influenced by the nominee’s activities and other supporting documents highlighting excellence, such as articles or news items.
The Selection Committee may make an annual award between $5,000 and $20,000. This award may be made to a single individual or to a group having a common purpose or goal.