Description
Sponsored by the Office of the President, the Presidential Awards for Faculty Excellence were created to recognize, promote, and honor outstanding members of our community for excellence in teaching, research, social impact, and diversity & inclusion. Award recipients will be announced and recognized in Spring 2025.
For Academic Year 2024-25, three awards are available in each category (teaching, research, social impact, diversity and inclusive excellence). This approach provides an opportunity to recognize recipients at different stages of their careers. Tier 1 is for faculty members who received their first full-time faculty appointment between zero and six years ago (since fall 2019). Tier 2 is for faculty members who received their first full-time faculty appointment between six and twelve years ago (between fall 2013 and spring 2019). Tier 3 is for faculty members who received their first faculty appointment more than twelve years ago (before fall 2013).
Nominees in Tier 1 must have been employed at Mason for at least two years to be considered for the awards. Nominees in Tiers 2 and 3 must have been employed at Mason for at least three years.
Nomination Process
To nominate a faculty member, please send the nominee’s current CV, along with a letter explaining why they are competitive for the award that directly responds to the relevant award criteria, and submit it to facaward@gmu.edu. The letter should be no more than 1400 words. Below are the criteria for each award, as well as links to the rubrics the committee will use when evaluating nominees. Nomination letters should specify the nominee’s stage of career.
Nominees must be Instructional/Research faculty. Please note that self-nominations are not permitted, and no individual will be considered for more than one award in any given year. Questions about the nomination process should be addressed to Brian Platt or Kimberly Eby.
The deadline for submitting nominations is Monday, February 10, 2025.
Evaluation Criteria
Excellence in Teaching Award
Outstanding teaching is an integral part of Mason’s mission and is deserving of significant recognition. The care and rigor that our best teachers bring to each lesson foster enthusiasm that will launch a lifetime of critical thinking. This begins in our classrooms, labs, and studios, where faculty work closely with students, and extends beyond classrooms into the work that faculty do designing curriculum, mentoring students, and supporting teaching excellence in their departments and academic communities. The John Toups Medal for Excellence in Teaching will be presented annually to a faculty member whose teaching inspires and stimulates students in the finest tradition of higher education.
Submissions will be evaluated in light of evidence in the following areas:
- Growth and development as an educator
- Student and learner engagement
- Assessment of student learning and teaching effectiveness
- Evidence of transformative impact
Excellence in Research Award
Outstanding research that is robust and consequential is an integral part of Mason’s mission and is deserving of significant recognition. The accomplishments of Mason’s most esteemed and respected faculty advance knowledge and extend frontiers of understanding consistent with our university’s mission as a comprehensive public research university.
The Beck Family Medal for Excellence in Research recognizes extraordinary contributions by members of the Mason faculty to consequential research of high impact. The award is presented annually to a Mason faculty member whose research represents groundbreaking advances in their field.
Submissions will be evaluated in light of evidence in the following areas:
- Evidence of consequential research of high impact,
- Evidence of the dissemination and communication of the research findings and their application, and
- Evidence that the research will have meaningful consequences for society.
Excellence in Social Impact Award
Outstanding impact in society is an integral part of Mason’s mission – the university aspires to be not the best university in the world, but the best university for the world. Consistent with the ideals of the Carnegie Foundation, this award recognizes outstanding efforts in contributing to “the collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.” The Earle C. Williams Medal for Excellence in Social Impact is presented annually to a faculty member in any discipline whose commitment to community service and impact inspires students, improves the quality of life in our region, and serves as a model to the entire Mason Nation.
Submissions will be evaluated in light of evidence in the following areas:
- Commitment to the social, geographic, economic, cultural, and/or environmental betterment of the community
- Engagement in reciprocal, collaborative activities with community stakeholders, such as volunteerism, service-learning, community-based research, and/or other educational programming
- Visible, lasting, and sustainable impact on the community
Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion Award
Diversity and inclusion represent core values of George Mason University, where we aspire to respect differences and include and embrace a multitude of people and ideas in everything we do. The United Bank Medal for Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion was created by the Office of the President to recognize extraordinary contributions in research – defined to include research, scholarship and creative works– teaching, and/or service that directly advance diversity and inclusion within and outside of the Mason community.
Submissions will be evaluated in light of evidence in the following areas:
- The infusion of diversity and inclusion in curriculum and/or instructional approaches
- Intentional support for the academic success and well-being of diverse students
- Research, scholarship, and/or creative work that promote diversity and inclusion
- Efforts to enhance diversity and inclusion locally, nationally, and/or internationally
Composition of Review Team
A team of prior award recipients and senior leaders from relevant areas will comprise the Presidential Awards committee and will solicit nominations annually.