Levitt Teaching Award - Call for Nominations

DATE: February 7, 2008
TO: Drake University Faculty, Staff and Students
FROM: Ronald Troyer, Provost
SUBJECT: Madelyn Levitt Teacher of the Year Award
Each year a member of the Drake University faculty is honored for superior teaching. This award represents the award for teaching excellence on the Drake campus. In 1994, the award was renamed the Madelyn Levitt Teacher of the Year Award in honor of Madelyn Levitt’s commitment to Drake and her ongoing interest in faculty achievement and academic excellence.

I invite you this year to nominate a faculty member for this prestigious award.

Process:
  1. A letter of nomination is submitted to the Provost recommending an individual faculty member for the award and explaining the context and manner in which the nominator has come to know the faculty member.  This letter should speak to the following qualifications:
    • an informed mind in inspirational dialogue with students
    • integrity in person relationships
    • rigor in intellectual endeavors
    • contagious enthusiasm for her/his subject matter.
    A nominee must be a faculty member holding the rank of instructor, or above, and in at least her/his fourth academic year of service and cannot have won this award within the past five years.

    The letter is due in the Provost’s Office no later than February 21, 2008.
  2. The nominated individual is notified by the Provost’s Office of her/his nomination and asked of her/his willingness to be considered.
  3. At the nominee’s acceptance, the nominator is asked to collect the following supporting material and submit it to the Provost’s Office by March 14, 2008: a curriculum vitae; a short statement, by the nominee, of educational philosophy or about methods of teaching; and evidence of positive student evaluation of the nominee (e.g., summary of student evaluations, students as nominator, or student author of second letter of support). In addition to these items, at least one additional letter supporting the nomination must be submitted.  At least one letter of support must be from a current student and there may be no more than five letters supporting the nomination. Electronic submission of materials is required. Submit all documents to susan.wright@drake.edu
  4. A screening committee, appointed by the Provost, will review all nominations and make appropriate recommendations to the Provost.  The committee will include former recipients of the award.
  5. Any individual who was initially nominated for the award in 2006 or 2007 may be renominated if the nominator resubmits a letter offering the individual for consideration this year. Files of previous nominees are maintained for two years. I encourage the nominator to review the file carefully to ensure that the nomination is as current as possible. The limit of five letters of support, including one from a current student, also applies to renominations.

 

Additional information is available at http://www.drake.edu/academics/honors/lteach.php