Academy of Distinguished Teachers

Implemented December 8, 1994; Revised April 13, 1999

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln has a positive national reputation for providing excellent teaching for its students (e.g. chosen by AAHE as one of twelve national universities to participate in a peer review of teaching project; FIPSE recognition for the Roles and Rewards of Teaching Project). Before the Academy of Distinguished Teachers was implemented in 1994, UNL had only one campus award that recognized outstanding teaching, and that award was limited to those who teach in the Humanities (the Sorensen Award). Fifteen teaching awards are provided by the legislature, but these are limited to college teaching awards and are made at the college level (the Bereuter Awards).

Outstanding teaching is rewarded at the system level by awarding the Outstanding Teaching and Creative Instruction Awards (OTICA). UNL faculty have won the OTICA award in each year since its inception in 1992. If these professors had not won the systemwide OTICA competition, there would have been no way to recognize them for their teaching expertise at the campus level. There are several nationally prominent and recognized professors at UNL who are excellent teachers. Before the Academy of Distinguished Teachers was implemented, this potential resource for establishing the culture and importance of teaching at UNL was untapped. The proposal for an Academy alleviated this situation by establishing a campus-wide honor academy of outstanding teachers. The Teaching Academy members will be recognized and rewarded as educational teachers and professors, and will also share in some of the responsibility for enhancing effective teaching processes with colleagues across the campus and the state.

The UNL Academy of Distinguished Teachers has the following goals:

1. To produce a sustaining group of skilled faculty who are advocates of teaching excellence at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
2. To share their teaching acumen outside the UNL community when possible, and to exemplify the skills, talents, and characteristics of good teachers.
3. To help at UNL, both as individuals and as a community of teacher scholars, when time and energy permits, to model effective teaching that will improve learning for students at all levels.

Membership in this honorific academy was chartered with ten active faculty members. These charter Teaching Academy members included the 1992-93 OTICA winners, the first and secon dplace campus OTICA nominations from the 1993-94 slate of nominees, and six additional professors chosen in an open competition at the campus level in 1994. OTICA criteria and standards were used to determine these six professors, and the Teaching Council made the final selections. Up to and including the 1998-99 academic year, the professors nominated to enter the OTICA competition an dprioritized in position number one and two were also inducted into the Academy. Starting with the 1999-2000 academic year, the competition for the two Academy memberships available annually will be open to all members of the UNl faculty, although faculty members are encouraged to apply simultaneously for the OTICA award and membership in the Academy. Each year two additional members may be selected. Criteria for membership in the Academy will reflect the goals of the Academy. The UNL Teaching Council will continue to act inthe role of screening, selecting, and prioritizing nominations for both the OTICA Award and for membership in the Academy. All Teaching Academy members will be recognized by an appropriate plaque awarded at the UNL Honors Convocation and by a permanent $2,500 stipend added to their base salary.

Academy members will engage in activities to support teaching at UNL where appropriate. Such activities may include (but certainly are not limited to), speaking about teaching and pedagogy at department, college, campus, state, regional, and national meetings, allowing other faculty to observe one's teaching, conducting chautauqua types of events around the state in concert with their academic disciplines, and serving in an advisory capacity to the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs on matters related to teaching at UNL.