Process and Procedures for Nominations for the University Outstanding Scholar Awards
Purpose of Award
The University Outstanding Scholar Awards were created in 2024 to recognize outstanding faculty members who are on an accelerated path for academic distinction. The aims of this program are to reward and increase the recognition of Kansas State University’s most promising faculty, to identify potential faculty candidates for University Distinguished Professor and external award nominations and recognitions, and to increase retention of excellent faculty.
Eligibility
Full time faculty member from any school/college who holds the rank of tenured associate professor.
Deadline for Nomination Submissions: February 28, 2025
Nomination Form (Microsoft Form)
Qualifications and Selection Criteria:
- The nominee must have made an outstanding impact on their field through scholarly and/or creative activities.
- The outstanding impact on their field is recognized as continuing.
- Scholarly standing in the individual’s respective field.
- Professional leadership and service.
- This excellence has been recognized in important ways, including, but not limited to:
- Receipt of personal honors from professional societies or
- Receipt of a College or Kansas State University honor or award or
- Receipt of other awards of national or international stature recognizing continuing distinguished personal contributions to research, teaching or other areas of scholarship.
The first four criteria above are expected. Though the last one is not essential, it can support the nomination.
Award Information
With the University Outstanding Scholar Award, the following are made available to the recipient:
- $10,000 permanent addition to base salary, funded by One K-State for five years and then from the college budget thereafter;
- Invitation to a recognition reception in the fall;
- University Outstanding Scholar as a permanent designation retained for the rest of career; and
- Invitation to join additional conversations or other representations for University Outstanding Scholars (e.g., review committee, feedback conversations with university leadership).
Number of Scholars:
The university aims to award a number of University Outstanding Scholars each year. This may be changed by the President and Provost due to changes in availability of the budget and quality of applications.
The committee will ensure representation across different ranks, areas of expertise, and other relevant factors, based on the quality of applications. The Provost may request the committee to review their recommendations to achieve this broader representation.
Nominations
Nominations for University Outstanding Scholars may be made by any university employee; however, self nominations are discouraged.
Please submit nomination materials (details below) to the Provost via the following Microsoft Form: nomination form.
If you have questions regarding the process please reach out to provounivawards@k-state.edu.
Nomination packages must contain the following material:
- A letter of nomination on department letterhead that is no more than three pages in length. It must:
- Include a general definition of outstanding achievements in the nominee’s field. In science-oriented fields, publications and external funding are typically considered to gauge excellence. However, in several other fields, other measures define outstanding achievements. Please be specific to assist the reviewers in meaningfully evaluating the nomination.
- Identify the special reasons that justify selection of the nominee for the award of University Outstanding Scholar. The letter should interpret, highlight (as necessary), and be complementary to the materials included in the curriculum vitae, and not be a mere repetition of it. Sufficient evidence should be included in the letter to support the contributions and their impacts.
- Describe the nominee’s scholarship, achievements, contributions, and impacts to the nominee’s field in a manner understandable by a general academic audience. Please note, most principal reviewers of the nomination, whose expertise ranges from art to veterinary medicine, will be unfamiliar with the specifics of the nominee’s field.
- Identify by name the awards, as applicable, received by the nominee, the relative frequency/selectivity of the award(s) received, and the normal time in the career that such awards are received.
- A letter of support of the nomination from the Dean of the college.
- A detailed curriculum vitae.
- A one-page summary highlighting the nominee’s outstanding and continuing impact on their field and personal honors that have been received to recognize their excellence.
-
Two letters of reference (fewer than 500 words). One of these two letters must be from a person external to the university.
If a nominee does not receive the University Outstanding Scholar Award they may be nominated again for future award cycles. A new nomination, with updated materials, will need submitted.
Nomination form (Microsoft Form)
Review Committee and Approval Process
The University Outstanding Scholar review committee shall be chaired by an Office of the Provost designee (non-voting).
The committee shall be diverse with sufficient expertise to evaluate the nominees meaningfully: one representative each from the Colleges of Agriculture, Architecture, Planning & Design, Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Health and Human Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, and two from the College of Arts and Sciences (of which one should be more sciences-focused and the other more humanities-focused). The committee should consist of some recipients of the UOS award and some UDPs (the role of UDPs in the selection committee will be phased out after a critical mass of UOS is available). College administrators may not serve on this committee to avoid conflict of interest.
It is anticipated that awards will be announced the first week of May and appointments will begin in July. Each new class of University Outstanding Scholars and their nominators will be invited to a recognition reception in the fall semester.