The Regents’ Awards are annual University-funded awards that may be given for one of three categories: Teaching, Research and Creative/Scholarly Activity, or Professional and University Service and Public Outreach. As many as nine awards may be awarded annually, with the understanding the majority of the awards will be given for Superior Teaching.
Each award will consist of affixing the recipient’s name to a permanent plaque in a prominent and suitable location, a one-time award of $10,000, and a framed certificate.
Nominations are due to the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost by November 1, 2024, through the Faculty Awards and Honors Packets Dropbox.
A nominee must have contributed significantly to the mission of the department/unit in the award area (teaching, research and creative/scholarly activity, service/outreach) being recognized and must have fulfilled obligations and performed well in the other areas as well.
Eligibility
Nominees must be full-time, regular or non-regular faculty members. The faculty member must have been a University of Oklahoma employee during the period for which the outstanding contributions are being recognized; previous accomplishments at other institutions, if applicable, may be used in support of a continued outstanding performance in the area of the specific award. A recipient of an award in one area (teaching, research and creative/scholarly activity, service/outreach) is ineligible for the same Regents’ Award during the subsequent five-year period, but is immediately eligible for a Regents’ Award in a different area.
Teaching
The educational training of students is at the core of the university mission. This training is accomplished through varied educational strategies and environments, including but not limited to in-class activities, hands-on student research training and mentorship, clinical teaching and mentorship, innovative course development (in-class and on-line), pedagogy improvements, and distance learning. Success of these activities must be demonstrated by measurable positive outcomes for students.
The nominator shall provide an informed commentary on the impact of the nominee's exceptional accomplishments, including classroom teaching, engagement with and commitment to students (including undergraduate, graduate, professional, and/or clinical residents and fellows), willingness to keep teaching material up to date with state of the art knowledge, willingness to support broader departmental teaching mission, positive feedback from students via STEs and other channels and from peers via observation, engagement in faculty development activities related to pedagogy, new course development, service learning or service learning components, student advising and mentorship, formal and informal, supervision of graduate students.
Initiation
The Senior Vice President and Provosts will solicit recommendations for the awards by September 15 of each year and announce appropriate schedules for processing the nominations. Furthermore, the solicitations will be posted on the appropriate campus website, for access by nominators and faculty on all campuses.
Recommendations
Nominations may derive from department chairs or unit directors, elected members of departmental/unit Committee A, a departments/unit's approved nomination committee, Center leaders, or a group of faculty who are familiar with the nominee's qualifications for the award. Only one nomination by an academic unit or other nominating group of faculty is allowed for each of the Regents’ Awards. The nominating entity will be responsible for assembling the nomination packets including supporting documentation.
Nominations shall be forwarded to the respective dean for review and endorsement. An optional letter from the dean, if included, will focus on evaluatory comments regarding the quality and significance of the nominee's impact on the broader OU mission. The dean's letter will not count towards the 25-page limit outlined below. The dean will forward the nomination materials to the respective Senior Vice President and Provost by November 1.
Supporting Documentation
Nomination packets must include the following, not to exceed 25 pages combined:
Although not required, the nomination packet may include letters of support. Letters must specifically address the area of the award. No more than five letters should be included. These letters of support will not count toward the 25-page limit.
The following sequence should be followed. Begin page numbering with the letter of nomination.
Any other supporting materials submitted will be removed from the dossier.
Submission
All materials listed above should be submitted as a single combined PDF from the appropriate Dean's Office to the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost via the Faculty Awards and Honors Packets Dropbox.
The University Council on Faculty Awards and Honors shall consider only the formal nominations. The Council may seek additional data about the nominees from supplemental sources, as appropriate.
The Council shall recommend to the Senior Vice President and Provosts as many as nine faculty members for the awards, with the understanding the majority of the awards will be given for Superior Teaching in the broadest sense as defined by the selection criteria. The Council also shall transmit all substantiating materials pertaining to all nominees. The Senior Vice President and Provosts will review the nomination materials and the Council’s recommendations, and will forward their recommendations, along with all substantiating materials, to the President by February 1. The President will make recommendations to the Board of Regents for consideration. The final selection of the recipients will be made by the Board of Regents.
The recipients of the Regents' Awards will be announced by the Board of Regents for Norman Campus at the annual Faculty Awards and Honors luncheon.
Each award will consist of affixing the recipient’s name to a permanent plaque in a prominent and suitable location and a one-time award of $10,000. A certificate suitable for framing will be presented to the recipient.
This award is hosted by the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost. For questions about this award, please contact the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost (facultyawards@ou.edu).
