The letter below was sent to deans for the attention of all faculty on September 1, 2015
We write on behalf of your elected faculty Committee on Honorary Degrees and Special Awards to ask you to help us identify nominees for the five major awards for which the faculty, through this committee, selects recipients. We know that you may be suffering from “award fatigue,” as calls for nominations for various recognition programs arrive in your inbox daily. But the five awards our committee handles are some of the most visible and significant honors our university bestows, and the array of recipients should reflect our highest aspirations and deepest values.
Below is a list of the awards and the deadlines for receipt of nominations. We invite you to discuss these awards at an upcoming faculty meeting, distribute this letter to your faculty, and develop a strategy to identify nominees from all areas of scholarly or professional endeavor. Then we ask you and your colleagues to submit names to us via the nomination form online at the Office of Faculty Governance here.
In hopes of getting the broadest and most diverse possible pools for all awards, we are emphasizing simplicity in the nomination process. The most important thing you can do is provide us with names and short summaries (approximately 250 words) of a nominee’s accomplishments. The committee will follow up for more information. No elaborate portfolio or letter-writing campaign is needed.
Here are the awards and deadlines, along with links to more information about criteria and eligibility:
- Distinguished Alumnus/a Awards, September 28, 2015
- Edward Kidder Graham Faculty Service Award, November 15, 2015
- O. Max Gardner Award (UNC system-wide faculty award), December 1, 2015
- Honorary Degrees (given at Commencement), January 25, 2016
- Thomas Jefferson Award (faculty award), March 21, 2016
If you have any questions about this awards process, please contact Dr. Anne Whisnant in the Office of Faculty Governance at anne_whisnant@unc.edu or 919-962-1671.
Thank you for helping us identify outstanding candidates for faculty recognition this year.
Sincerely yours,
Steve Matson
Chair, Committee on Honorary Degrees and Special Awards
Bruce Cairns
Chair of the Faculty
