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Northwestern University

Teaching Awards

WCAS Teaching Awards Ceremony 2023

You are invited to view photos of the 2023 Weinberg College Teaching Awards.

Each year, the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of the Provost recognize members of the College's tenure-line and teaching-track faculty for excellence in teaching. Weinberg College in addition recognizes the contributions of outstanding graduate student teachers in the instruction of its undergraduates.

The descriptions below give details about each kind of WCAS teaching award and the materials required to nominate candidates. Beginning in 2021-22, the nomination and selection process has been streamlined. Beginning in 2022-23, the Dean’s Office will be using Faculty Folio RPT to manage the Weinberg College Teaching Awards nomination and selection process. (Please note that the Provost’s Office will be employing its own process for the collection of nominations for the Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence Awards. The process described below pertains to the Weinberg College Teaching Awards.)  

Step 1: Undergraduates will nominate outstanding teachers

The Dean’s Office will solicit nominations directly from WCAS undergraduates in late fall quarter. Students will be invited to nominate outstanding teachers in Weinberg College using our online nomination form. Student nominations are due by November 30th (if November 30th falls on a weekend, the due date is the following Monday).

Step 2: Student nominations will be forwarded to departments

These student nominations will be forwarded to department chairs and program directors. Departments and programs may take the student nominations into account in selecting their nominee(s). However, departments and programs are not required to do so. Professors who wish to nominate an outstanding graduate teaching assistant may do so through their departments.

Step 3: Departments will notify the Assistant Dean for Faculty Advancement by January 20th of nominations in their department.

The Dean’s Office will create award nominee cases in Faculty Folio RPT in late January and release them to departments in early February. Departments will then have until February 15th to upload nomination materials and forward the nomination packet to the Dean’s Office. (For the sake of simplicity, department administrators will be uploading all nomination materials, including the candidate’s CV and nomination statement.)

Step 4: Departments will forward their nominations to the Dean’s Office

The deadline for all department nominations and supporting materials to the Dean’s Office is February 15th (if February 15th falls on a weekend, the due date is the following Monday).

Step 5: The Selection Committee meets

Please note that nominations may be considered under another category if the selection committee deems the change to be appropriate. For example, a nomination for a Distinguished Teaching Award may instead be considered for an Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research Award.

Awards for tenure-line College faculty

Awards for teaching-track College faculty

Awards for College graduate student teachers

Please note that instructors who have won within the past five years are ineligible. Be sure to consult the list of previous winners.

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