Dear faculty colleagues,
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 selects recipients. These awards 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.
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.
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.
Below are the awards and deadlines, along with links to more information about eligibility and submitting a nomination:
- Distinguished Alumnus/a Awards [https://facultygov.unc.edu/awards/distinguished-alumnus-and-alumna-award/], deadline September 30, 2016
- Edward Kidder Graham Faculty Service Award [https://facultygov.unc.edu/awards/edward-kidder-graham-award/], deadline November 18, 2016
- O. Max Gardner Award (UNC system-wide faculty award) [https://facultygov.unc.edu/awards/o-max-gardner-award/], local campus deadline: December 2, 2016
- Honorary Degrees (given at Commencement) [https://facultygov.unc.edu/awards/honorary-degrees/], deadline February 24, 2017
- Thomas Jefferson Award (faculty award) [https://facultygov.unc.edu/awards/thomas-jefferson-award/], March 24, 2017
If you have questions about the nominations process, please contact the Office of Faculty Governance at 962-2146 or facgov@unc.edu.
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
