Foundation Excellence Awards

Recipients of the individual Foundation Excellence Award will receive a $5,000 award from the University  Foundation. Recipients of the Excellence in Team Collaboration Award will receive $5,000 for the group to be divided evenly or $5,000 in support of university-related projects. In May, recipients will be honored at the University Foundation board meeting and luncheon.

The goal of this award is to recognize the work of clinical faculty, lecturers, and research faculty who demonstrate excellence in one or more of the areas of teaching, research and creative activities, and/or service (which includes administration and leadership). Each type of position has different expectations related to the three areas of responsibility, so nominators must identify the areas of excellence for which the faculty member should be recognized and selection committees must take those expectations into account.

The goal of this award is to recognize tenured/tenure-track (TT) faculty who demonstrate excellence in at least two of the three major areas of responsibility that they are assigned: teaching, research/creative activities, and professionally-related service (which includes administration and leadership).

In order to be eligible for one of the Foundation Excellence Awards above, the nominee must:

• Hold a full-time faculty appointment (tenured/tenure-track, lecturer, clinical and research) at Boise State University;
• Have held such an appointment at Boise State University for a minimum of three consecutive years of full-time service;
• Have the prospect, interest, and intent to continue as a member of the Boise State University faculty (in regular or emeritus status) for at least the next academic year;
• Have accomplished the recognized teaching, research/creative activity, and/or service while in employment of Boise State University;
• Has not previously received the award.

The goal of this award is to recognize all Boise State community members who have been part of advancing a major project or initiative (e.g., staff who manage labs, manage grant funds, process operational tasks for a project, etc.; students who serve as assistants or contribute in other ways to the project, etc.) rather than simply the individual whose name is on the publication or project. This award recognizes staff and faculty as well as students who have, as members of a team or collaborative group, contributed to the accomplishment of a major project or significant effort that advances college/department/university strategic goals and/or has a significant impact on students, the larger community, professional organizations, etc. The individuals in these high-performing teams model open communication, trust, cooperation, and respect for differences by building effective and collaborative relationships to accomplish organizational goals.

• Teams consisting of full-time and part-time faculty, staff, and administrators, and students are eligible for this nomination. At least one member of the team must be a faculty member and one must be a staff member.
• The members of the team come from a minimum of two separate Boise State units/ schools/ departments/ programs/ colleges/ divisions/ community partners
• The project/initiative resulted in significant advancement of the college/department/university strategic goals
• The project/initiative resulted in a significant impact on students, the larger community, professional organizations, etc.

Nominations may be made by any Boise State University employee, student, or alumni, and may include self-nominations. There are separate selection committees for each of the three award categories (see Selection Process below). Nomination letters should be addressed to the appropriate Selection Committee.

Nominators are responsible for submitting all required materials and are encouraged to work with nominees to gather them.  All nomination materials should be submitted electronically to Spencer Kelly (spencerkelly@boisestate.edu) in the Provost’s office and should include:

1) Nomination statement

Nomination statement of no more than three (3) pages describing why the nominee deserves to be recognized with the Foundation Excellence Award. Cite specific examples of the nominee’s activities in the areas of teaching, service, and research/creative activities (as appropriate to the award category). Explicitly identify how the nominee has demonstrated outstanding performance in the areas identified above, as appropriate to their rank and position and within the context of the nominee’s workload assignments.

2) Nominee’s Curriculum Vitae

For team submissions include a CV/resume for each team member.

3) Letters of Support

Nominators should request at least three letters of support (but no more than five), one from each of the categories below:

a) External Letters

• • • • • At least one of these letters must be from an external source with expertise in the nominee’s areas of excellence. The external recommendation must outline the norms of excellence and distinction recognized in the discipline and situate the nominee’s work within those norms. In some cases, a community partner may be best positioned to make such a case.
        • May include letters of support from faculty and staff and other colleagues not only at Boise State University but also other institutions and organizations, assessing the candidate’s record of  achievements;

b) Student Letters (if applicable to the award category)

• • • • • Letters of support from present and former students

c) Internal Letters

• • • • • At least one of these internal letters must be a letter of endorsement from the nominee’s direct supervisor (e.g., relevant dean or and chairperson)
        • Additional endorsement letters may include those from directors; colleagues, community members, etc.

Nominators should ensure that the letters not only reinforce the reasons the nominee should be considered for the award, but also address something not found in other parts of the nomination package. No more than five letters may be included in a nomination package.

After the Selection Committees review materials, nominees/finalists may be asked for additional materials and an interview may be conducted.

All nomination materials must be submitted by the deadline of November 22 (or next business day) for nominations to be considered.

By mid-February, each Selection Committee will forward its recommendation for the award recipient to the Provost for final approval. The Selection Committees for each award will be assembled by the Assistant Provost for Academic Leadership and Faculty Affairs in consultation with the Academic Affairs Honors and Awards Committee. The committees will be comprised of the following members:

• Clinical/Lecturer/Research Faculty Selection Committee: five members from diverse disciplines, at least three of whom hold the rank of the nominees being considered. Additional members may include current students; department chairs/heads/directors who have experience evaluating the work of clinical, lecturer, and/or research faculty; or community members, including members of the Foundation Board. Members will serve staggered three-year terms.
• Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty Selection Committee: five members from diverse disciplines, at least three of whom hold the rank of the nominees being considered. Additional members may include current students; department chairs/heads/directors who have experience evaluating the work of tenured/tenure-track faculty; or community members including members of the Foundation Board. Members will serve staggered three-year terms.
• Team Collaboration Selection Committee: five members from diverse disciplines, at least three of whom reflect the ranks, type, and positions of the nominees being considered and have had experience working on a team in the university setting. Additional members may include current students; staff members; department chairs/heads/directors who have experience evaluating the work of teams; or community members, including members of the Foundation Board. Members will serve staggered three-year terms.

Nominators for the Clinical/Lecturer/Research Faculty Award must identify which of the following areas the nominee should be recognized for, given their responsibilities and workload assignments. Selection committees will use the criteria below as they review the nominees’ materials

Nominators for the Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty Award must identify at least two of the following areas for which the nominee should be recognized.

The Foundation celebrates significant contributions in teaching at Boise State University.  Teaching is at the heart of scholarly endeavors and can transform and extend knowledge for the teacher and learner.  The excellent teacher is one who makes a difference to students by helping them build bridges between what they know and what is to be learned.  Students who have worked with an outstanding teacher develop a commitment to continued learning in the field and the capacity to extend their understanding. The criteria for excellence in teaching recognizes faculty members who have implemented innovative ways of teaching and have assessed the impact of the innovation on student learning. The innovation may have been used at other institutions or in other fields, but must be newly adapted to your field at Boise State.

Nominees who are being considered for teaching excellence as one of their areas are those who:

• Have a solid grounding in the subjects they teach and maintain current knowledge in their discipline;
• Actively engage students in learning through learner-centered evidence-based instructional practices;
• Foster an inclusive learning environment;
• Articulate a clear philosophy of teaching and reflect that philosophy in their work;
• Understand and accept the moral and ethical responsibilities of teaching;
• Demonstrate a commitment to their growth and development as a teacher through professional development and/or scholarship of teaching and learning activities.

The Foundation celebrates faculty who demonstrate innovative, sustained, and outstanding contributions to an academic discipline over an extended period of time while serving on the faculty of Boise State University. Nominees who are being considered for excellence in research/creative activity as one of their areas are those who:

• Contribute to the body of knowledge of the discipline through creative activity, research, publication, and/or presentation of scholarly or artistic works as defined by their discipline and by the Boyer model of scholarship (scholarship of discovery, teaching, application, engagement);
• Empower students through research and creative activity (e.g., advising undergraduate students who have presented in national conferences, graduate students who have achieved national fellowships, students who are co-authors, etc.);
• Advance the art and science of the particular field of study as acknowledged by the discipline;
• Contribute scholarship that has been determined to be of significance and magnitude resulting in international and national visibility and prominence;
• Implement an interdisciplinary approach to research/creative work;
• Demonstrate a self-critical, reflective approach in evaluating their professional growth and development over time in the area of research/creative activity;
• Demonstrate a commitment to their growth and development as a researcher/creative artist through professional development and/or related activities.

The Foundation celebrates faculty who make substantial and consistent professionally-related service contributions and demonstrate a commitment to serving Boise State University, their profession, and the community (local, regional, state-wide, national, or international). It is essential that faculty who are assigned service responsibilities share in the work necessary for the effective functioning of their unit and assume responsibility for shared governance. Just as faculty recognize that an institution of higher education is a community of scholars with great specialization in widely varied disciplines, they also recognize that, when engaged in service responsibilities, everyone contributes different talents and expertise to the University’s comprehensive mission.

Service activities may encompass a combination of contributions to the discipline or disciplinary and professional organizations and societies; to leadership in faculty governance (including administrative leadership and faculty senate leadership); to the community; service to students (such as advising); participation and/or leadership in department, college, or University committees, the Faculty Senate, and professional organizations; and, as appropriate to the discipline, service related to affairs of the local, state, or national community. The criteria for excellence in service applies to all activities a faculty member engages in as part of their assigned workload (including reassigned time for service/administration) and may include activities that go beyond a faculty member’s assigned duties. However, the intent is to recognize excellence in service within the scope of one’s assigned responsibilities, not to incentivize service as a sacrifice.

Nominees who are being considered for excellence in service activities as one of their areas are those who:

• Reflect a sustained commitment to their profession and/or community through service to Boise State University and to the community at large (local, regional, state, or national);
• Demonstrate a record of innovative and impactful service;
• Demonstrate outstanding achievement and skill in providing leadership, outreach, or other University and/or community service or extraordinary service and leadership;
• Demonstrate the use of their expertise to positively affect their discipline, colleagues, students, and/or the community;
• Demonstrates continuous growth in service over time, with representative amounts of service occurring while serving as a faculty member at Boise State;
• Demonstrate a self-critical, reflective approach in evaluating their professional growth and development over time in the area of service;
• Demonstrate mentoring of peers in service and engagement (e.g., one-on-one mentoring or in services to other professionals);
• Demonstrate contributions to the University’s goal of fostering a thriving community;
• Demonstrate a commitment to their growth and development as a member of the academic community and the university through professional development and/or related activities.

The Foundation celebrates the excellence of a Boise State team whose members have been part of advancing a major project or initiative. The project/initiative should have resulted in significant advancement of a college/department/university strategic goals and/or has a significant impact on students, the larger community, professional organizations, etc. The individuals in these high performing teams are likely to model open communication, trust, cooperation, inclusivity, and respect for differences by building effective and collaborative relationships to accomplish the project’s goals. Team nominees who are being considered for this award are those whose members:

• Work effectively as part of a team to successfully accomplish a project across multiple units that results in significant advancement of department/college/school/university goals;
• Model effective and inclusive communication within the team and among stakeholders throughout the project;
• Collaborate effectively with stakeholders that could be impacted by the project;
• Contribute to a project/initiative that resulted in a significant and sustainable impact on students, the larger community, professional organizations, etc.

• Initiative represents an intentional partnership as evidenced by involvement of each partner
• Initiative may demonstrate inclusion of external community partners
• Initiative demonstrates creativity, inventiveness, and originality
• While teams/collaborative groups may have mixed representation (e.g., students, staff, faculty, alum), teams are encouraged to include staff members (non-teaching personnel who are employed full-time and do not hold rank or tenure) who participate in/contribute to the success of the project (e.g., lab assistants, financial technician, grant accountants, etc.