MORGAN HALL
PRIDE STAFF WRITER

California State University San Marcos President Karen Haynes is calling all students and faculty members to nominate their favorite professors for the President’s Outstanding Faculty Award as announced by a Sept. 8 university press release.

Students and faculty members can nominate their favorite professors and fellow co-workers in two different categories: Teaching Innovation and Excellence and Outstanding Lecturer.

Whether complaining about the excessive amount of homework, discussing unreasonable deadlines or disagreeing with a professor’s teaching style, students rarely get a chance to recognize amazing faculty members when they come along.

Now, students have the chance to nominate professors who do make a great effort in teaching.

The Teaching Innovation and Excellence Award recognizes a faculty member who introduces innovative techniques, methodologies, exercises, methods of delivery and technologies in teaching, according to the CSUSM press release. All current tenure and tenure track faculty members are eligible for a nomination.

Students must write a detailed letter, between 100-500 words, discussing the professor’s teaching innovations and how this innovation contributed to a student’s development of the knowledge, skills and disposition appropriate to the academic discipline. Students cannot nominate faculty members if they are currently enrolled in the nominee’s classes.

The award for Outstanding Lecturer recognizes a part-time faculty member who significantly contributes to student learning, advances our university mission of educational excellence and demonstrates dedication to our diverse student community. Any temporary faculty member who had faculty appointments, including teaching and non-teaching assignments, at CSUSM and has been teaching one or more classes for the past three years is eligible for a nomination. A 100- 500-word letter is also required for this category.

Nominations for both categories are required to be sent, electronically, to Susan O’Connor at [email protected], no later than Wednesday, Oct. 12. The nomination letters must include the student’s name, major, email address, telephone number and the name and department of the faculty member being nominated. Information on the course or courses completed with the faculty member, including name, course number, semester, or information on the nature of the interaction with a non-instructional faculty member is also required.

The winning educators will be recognized at the faculty and staff award ceremony in January where they will also receive a $2,000.00 award.