2011-2012 Nomination period is now closed

The Academic Senate Distinguished Scholarship Award Committee invites nominations for the Distinguished Scholarship Award. Each year, two awards are presented, each accompanied by a cash prize of $1,250.

These awards recognize achievement in scholarship and creative activity across the entire range of disciplines represented at Cal Poly. They honor work conducted primarily at Cal Poly and celebrate specific accomplishments rather than general achievements. Both junior and senior faculty are eligible for the awards.

Faculty, students, and alumni may submit nominations, and faculty members may nominate themselves. All nominations must be submitted through the online nomination form.

All nominees must be current members of the Cal Poly faculty who have completed at least three years of full-time service or its equivalent. Candidates must currently be active in teaching in the specialty areas for which they were hired.

Selection Criteria:

1. Importance to students, as evidence by any of the following:

• Excellence in teaching which derives from research and professional development activities
• Excellence in inculcating, motivating, and promoting R&PD activities
• Quality and significance of associated senior projects, theses, etc.
• Curriculum improvement and enhanced teaching/learning by self and others
• Quality of the impact on students' experience

2. Quality (impact/usefulness) of the creative work (emphasized over quantity) as evidence by any of the following:

• Helping to improve the human condition and quality of life
• Contributions to knowledge and practice
• Wide peer recognition of the work as substantial, seminal, and scholarly

3. Use of the nominee's ideas and other creative products by practitioners

• Degree of innovation
• Publications or presentations in refereed media
• Other books, chapters, articles, teaching cases, and instructional materials
• Presentations or performance at peer recognized events

4. Importance to Cal Poly, evidence by any of the following

• Enhanced status of Cal Poly or its academic units
• Significant grants and contracts received
• Mentoring and facilitating the professional development of other faculty and staff
• Curriculum innovation in ways that are important to industry and/or practice

Previous Distinguished Scholarship Award Recipients