Faculty and Staff Awards

An individual is selected based on consistently demonstrated excellence, including substantive accomplishments, across the following areas:

• Promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Developing and communicating a clear vision for the unit, and moving the department toward that vision.
• Modeling and facilitating ethical, civil, and productive relationships among the faculty, staff, and students.
• Ensuring consultation with faculty and other stakeholders.
• Operating with openness, honesty, and transparency.
• Fostering an environment conducive to mentoring students, faculty, and staff across appointment types and campuses (where appropriate); empowering the success and development of others.
• Advancing research and scholarship; encouraging and facilitating faculty to obtain external research funding that is appropriate for the discipline.
• Facilitating the teaching and service missions of CLAS, in a manner that is equitable and balances the many demands among faculty, the College, and our units.
• Developing networks, partnerships, and collaborations to facilitate the success of their faculty and students.
• Dedication to continuous learning and improvement.

The award is open to CLAS department heads or directors/coordinators of a CLAS center, institute or program. One award is given. Recipients are selected by a committee of CLAS leaders and receive $1,000 in funds to support research, teaching, or professional development.

Mentoring relationships can be extremely valuable in the success of individuals at all career stages and can also involve highly enjoyable and enriching experiences for both mentors and mentees. Mentoring may take many forms and can occur between pairs or larger groups of individuals. In all cases, mentoring should provide meaningful connections to facilitate the advancement of the goals and aspirations of the mentee(s).

Separate awards are given for mentoring of faculty members, graduate students, and undergraduate students as follows:

• Faculty Mentoring of Faculty Award
• Faculty Mentoring of Graduate Students Award
• Faculty Mentoring of Undergraduate Students Award

These awards are open to all CLAS full-time faculty, including all tenure-line, in-residence, and clinical faculty. Nominations may be for individuals or teams of individuals. However, individuals may be nominated for only one of the three mentoring awards each year. One award is given in each category. Recipients are selected by a committee of faculty members and receive $1,000 in funds to support research, teaching, or professional development.

The Strategic Goal Awards recognize the efforts of faculty members in the goal areas of the CLAS Strategic Plan.

• Climate, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award - Awarded in recognition of exceptional efforts to build and continually support an academic environment and workplace where diverse faculty, staff, and students feel valued and thrive.
• Innovative Scholarship Award - Awarded in recognition of outstanding achievements in interdisciplinary research that engage novel intersections to address major challenges to knowledge, well-being, and our world.
• Teaching, Learning, and Student Success Award - Awarded for design, development, and/or delivery of an innovative course, curriculum, or other educational opportunity that significantly increases student engagement and positive learning outcomes in unique ways.
• Broader Impacts, Service, and Visibility Award - Awarded for outstanding initiatives that visibly impact the welfare of Connecticut and beyond, including but not limited to facilitating community engagement, developing strong connections to government or nonprofit agencies, and/or leveraging alumni networks.

These awards are open to all CLAS full-time faculty, including all tenure-line, in-residence, and clinical faculty. Nominations may be for individuals or teams of individuals. One award will be given in each category. Recipients will be selected by a committee of faculty members and each award will provide $1,000 in research, teaching, or professional development funds for the individual or team.

These awards are open to all permanent staff members of a CLAS department or unit. Up to two awards will be given. Recipients will be selected by a committee of College staff members and will be awarded $1,000 in funds for professional development.