Roadmap University

Annual teaching awards open for nominations

The Office of the Provost is accepting nominations for its teaching awards that will recognize outstanding faculty members. Submit your candidates by Friday, March 11.
The U Statue on the University of Miami Coral Gables Campus. Photo: Mike Montero/University of Miami

The University of Miami’s commitment to exemplary teaching is a pillar of the University’s strategic plan, the Roadmap to Our New Century, and in an effort to recognize faculty excellence and innovation, the Office of the Provost is inviting nominations for the 2022 Provost’s Teaching Awards.

“Teaching is a multifaceted profession that brings together skills beyond subject matter expertise and includes attributes like mentoring, collaboration, and understanding a student’s condition to ensure we propel their success,” said Jeffrey Duerk, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost.

The provost’s office is accepting nominations for four distinct awards that honor exceptional forms of teaching within an academic year. Each award will recognize a faculty member who has provided outstanding mentoring to students, collaborated across departments to provide innovative teaching experiences, demonstrated a commitment to student learning outside of the traditional classroom, or employed discussion-based teaching methods that enrich the learning experience and prepare students for addressing complex challenges. Launched in 2021, this is the second year that the awards will honor exemplary instructors.

Specifically, the Luis Glaser Mentorship Award will recognize a faculty member who has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to mentoring students, which can include offering advice, feedback, guidance, or coaching; providing professional opportunities for mentees; or assisting in the development of life skills. Luis Glaser was the University’s provost from 1986 to 2005 and was a legendary advocate for student-faculty engagement. 

The Transdisciplinary Teaching Innovation Award will recognize a team of faculty members from different schools who are collaborating to provide unique courses and learning experiences that transcend individual disciplines. Such experiences provide students with multiple perspectives and ways of thinking that can lead to deeper understanding, creative problem solving, and innovation. 

The Excellence in Experiential Teaching Award will recognize an instructor who demonstrates an outstanding commitment to the student learning process by integrating excellent teaching with opportunities for experiential learning through curricular and co-curricular activities and by actively promoting and guiding learning outside of the classroom. Nominees should excel at developing students’ practical intelligence in addition to disciplinary abilities.  

The Discussion-Based Learning Award will recognize a member of the faculty who has created engaging educational experiences that leverage dialogue and discussion-based techniques, such as the Harkness method, flipped learning, and problem-based learning. These methods enrich the learning experience and prepare students to address complex problems through dialogue and collaboration.

One award is expected to be provided for each category. All full-time faculty members are eligible for these awards, which will include a celebratory recognition and a $1,000 fund for purchases supporting each awardee’s work.

Nominations may be submitted by faculty and staff members, undergraduate or graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars. Submittals are due by Friday, March 11, and involve a simple and straightforward two-step process. First nominators will complete an online form which notifies the nominee. Those who accept their nominations will be asked to provide additional information to the selection committee. 

View a list of last year’s winners and get more information at the Provost’s Teaching Awards website.