Kansas State University

Nominations for Provost's Lecture on Excellence in Scholarship

Submitted by April Mason and Sandra Stith

Provost April Mason and the Kansas State University Distinguished Professors Group, or UDPG, are inviting nominations for speakers for the all-university lecture series, The Provost's Lecture on Excellence in Scholarship. Nominations will come from K-State academic departments for speakers in the 2016 spring and fall semesters.

The lecture series is intended to foster excellence by bringing in one high-profile speaker per semester to deliver a colloquium lecture on campus. This effort is intended to elevate the visiting person's understanding of the quality of faculty we have here at K-State and thereby help us gain more national and international recognition of our faculty. The long-term goal is to get K-State faculty nominated to prestigious academies and societies, such as AAAS Fellows and members of the National Academies. These speakers may be Nobel laureates or academy members in various disciplines including the arts, humanities, sciences, engineering, technology, business, and education.

The colloquium is named The Provost's Lecture on Excellence in Scholarship: Sponsored by the University Distinguished Professors. We believe that such an event will bring significant recognition and policy to efforts in excellence in scholarship at Kansas State University.

Provost Mason has provided a budget of up to $10,000 per semester, which can be used to cover an honorarium, travel and lodging expenses for the speaker and the other costs associated with publicizing the lecture. We expect that, in some cases, the department or host unit may have to bear additional costs, such as food expenses for receptions or banquets. The proposing department or host unit is responsible for making all arrangements for the lecture and visit, including travel, lodging, processing honorarium and securing a location for the lecture.

The University Distinguished Professors Group's Committee on Excellence in Scholarship Lecture Series will recommend a lecturer to the provost for her approval and work with the academic department's faculty or seminar committee to bring the speaker to campus for a two-day gala to celebrate the excellence in scholarship that would include a lecture, visits and media appearances. The provost's decision is expected early in the spring semester for speakers in the spring and fall semesters. In truly exceptional cases, speakers will be considered off cycle, and the provost and the UDP president should be notified in this case.

The deadline for regular track nominations is Dec. 1 and nomination packages should be submitted electronically to Sandra Stith, sstith@k-state.edu, chair of the Excellence in Scholarship Lecture Committee; or Mike Tokach, mtokach@k-state.edu, president, University Distinguished Professors Group, for 2015-16.

Provost's Lecture on Excellence in Scholarship Nomination form:

Please note, these speakers should be of broad appeal and highly accomplished. For example, applications recommended to the provost have been Nobel Prize winners or members of the National Academy of Science with widely read popular books. Other examples might be Pulitzer Prize winners, poet laureates, and other indications of top international awards that cut across disciplines.

Name of Nominee:

Name of Nominator:

Topic:

Brief Bio of Nominee (include major awards or honors), 2 pages at most. Include information on why this speaker is an outstanding scholar.

Are there plans to incorporate this speaker in other campus activities?

Budget: The provost has provided up to $10,000, but less expensive speakers might have a higher chance of being funded by the provost. The committee includes in their recommendation to the provost an assessment of how reasonable and realistic the budget is.

· Travel, including air fare, accommodations, and all other travel costs.

· Honorarium or speaker fees

· Advertisement or other costs

· Additional sources of support

       o Entertainment: The provost will not support this aspect.

       o Other:

Special Track:

This option is intended for extraordinarily strong speakers that come up at last minute, and the request can be made any time of the year.

1. Nomination comes in to UDP Chair of the Excellence in Scholarship Lecture Committee through the UDP president or provost.

2. The committee classifies candidate as acceptable or unacceptable and comments on how reasonable the budget is. Recommendations will be forwarded to the provost within a week.

3. Provost contacts nominator and committee with decision.

Thank you,

April Mason, Provost and Senior Vice President
Sandra Stith, University Distinguished Professor and Chair, Excellence in Scholarship Lecture Committee