NES/MAA Award for Distinguished College/University Teaching of Mathematics

Summer is an ideal time to plan your nomination for the Distinguished College/University Teaching Award for 2008.  Here is last year’s information on the award.  This year, Jason Moliterno will be in charge of the award committee.

 

There is no packet of forms to fill out in order to make nominations for the 2008 Northeastern Section of the Mathematical Association of America (NES/MAA) Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics:  you create the nomination packet with various letters written by those familiar with the candidate's teaching/research/publications.  The eligibility and nomination requirements as well as some hyperlinks to help you in creating the nomination packet are listed below.

The eligibility requirements are

  • college or university teachers who currently teach a mathematical science at least half-time during the academic year in a public or private college or university in the United States or Canada (those on approved leave (sabbatical or other) during the academic year in which they are nominated qualify if they fulfilled the requirements in the previous year),
  • at least five years experience in teaching a mathematical science, and
  • has membership in the Mathematical Association of America and is teaching in the Northeastern Section,

and the nomination requirements,

  • widely recognized as extraordinarily successful in his/her teaching,
  • has teaching effectiveness that can be documented,
  • has influence in teaching beyond his/her own institution, and
  • fosters curiosity and generates excitement about mathematics in students.

Nominations for the 2007 NES/MAA Award for Distinguished College of University Teaching of Mathematics are due in January of 2008, and the winner of the Section's award for distinguished teaching is then nominated for the Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics.  General information for the distinguished teaching as well as a list of past recipients of the award can be found on the Sections Awards page of the NES/MAA web site, http://fileserver.wheatonma.edu/tratliff/NES/teaching_award.html; more detailed information about the Section award, eligibility, and nomination process can be found on the MAA website, http://www.maa.org/Awards/CFN_Template.html.  Information about the nomination process as well as about the National award can be found on the MAA website,

The typed completed Nomination Form must accompany the nomination packet that you create and nominations should include no more than five letters of recommendation of no more than one page each,

  • two letters from present or former students
  • two letters from colleagues one of whom could be the department chair, and
  • one additional letter from anyone qualified to comment on extraordinary teaching success.

In addition to these letters, the nomination should include a narrative describing the nominee's background, experience, teaching style, special contributions, other teaching awards, evidence of unusual/extraordinary achievement/success in teaching; this narrative should be no more than five double spaced pages.  Additional documentation on the nominee's teaching success including but not limited to summaries of peer or student teaching evaluations, comments on teaching, possible increases in the number of undergraduate/graduate degrees in mathematics directly related to the nominee, and student successes in mathematics competitions may be included on no more than three additional pages.

The Nomination Form, http://www.maa.org/Awards/Haimo_NF.pdf contains a note that states that "if the nomination packet significantly exceeds the prescribed limits" then "it will not be eligible for consideration for a national award."  Since the nomination packet for the Section award will be forwarded to MAA for consideration for the National award, it is important to consider this caution and not exceed "the prescribed limits."