Revised Dec. 16, 2021
Purpose
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences places a high priority on the scholarly activities of faculty. These activities include the scholarship of discovery, integration, application and teaching as defined by Ernest Boyer in Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate (1990). The UAMS College of Health Professions Excellence in Scholarship Award is designed to recognize faculty who make significant scholarly contributions in the following ways:
- Scholarship of Discovery — contributing new knowledge
- Scholarship of Integration — making connections within and between disciplines
- Scholarship of Application — applying knowledge to significant problems
- Scholarship of Teaching — transmitting, transforming and extending knowledge
The college and the Faculty Development and Services Committee recognize that excellence in scholarship may take many forms. As Boyer noted “… knowledge is acquired through research, through synthesis, through practice, and through teaching.” Irrespective of its form, excellence in scholarship is characterized by clear goals, adequate preparation, appropriate methods, significant results, effective presentation and reflective critique (Scholarship Assessed: Evaluation of the Professoriate by Glassick, Huber, & Maeroff, 1997).
Two awards may be awarded: one to a junior faculty member and one to a senior faculty member. The recipients of these awards receive an individual plaque, and their names are added to a perpetual plaque of UAMS College of Health Professions Excellence in Scholarship Award winners. Also included is a cash award of $500 (the amount may vary depending on available resources).
Eligibility
All paid full-time and part-time faculty whose primary appointment is in the UAMS College of Health Professions are eligible for nomination. Scholarly activities must have been performed while a UAMS College of Health Professions faculty member.
Junior Faculty Scholarship Award: Those who apply to this category typically include those faculty at the instructor and assistant professors ranks.
Senior Faculty Scholarship Award: Those who apply to this category typically include those faculty at the associate and professor ranks.
Recipients of an award are not eligible for the same award within a three-year period (e.g., recipients of the 2020 award will be eligible for the same award in 2023). Faculty may be eligible and nominated for all awards during one year; however, no more than two awards will be given to the same faculty member in any one year.
Procedure
Candidates may be nominated by faculty or students; however, candidates nominated by students must have their nomination form co-signed by the department chair, program director or the dean of the UAMS College of Health Professions. The nominator must submit the completed nomination form and a letter describing the basis for the recommendation, highlighting the significant contributions of the nominee. The completed nomination form and letter are to be submitted to the chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee. The candidate must accept the nomination by signing the nomination form in order to be considered for the award. If the individual being nominated is the chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee, the form and letter should be submitted to the associate dean for research of the UAMS College of Health Professions.
The associate dean for research will verify that all nominations meet the eligibility requirements. After this review, the Faculty Development and Services Committee will send the confirmed nominations to the respective nominees and their department chairs or program directors with requests to submit a full application.
Application Requirements
- Current curriculum vitae of the nominee
- Letters of Support: For the Junior Faculty Scholarship Award, three supporting letters from individuals knowledgeable about the nominee’s scholarly activities should be submitted. For the Senior Faculty Scholarship Award, six supporting letters should be submitted. It is desirable that some letters be from external sources for the Senior Faculty Scholarship Award. The letters should describe the scholarly contributions of the nominee.
- Applicant’s Statement: A statement by the applicant should be included (maximum of three pages) that addresses why they merit the award. The applicant should describe the amount of time they are allotted in their workload for scholarly activity. Additionally, the statement should address some or all of the following areas of excellence in scholarship.
- Description of accomplishments including the outcome (observable results) and impact (value judgments of peer-reviewed publications / presentations and funded grant awards)
- Products produced
- Reports and publications about the accomplishments
- If the applicant has received this award previously, the statement should highlight accomplishments since the receipt of the last award.
- Additional documentation of accomplishments related to excellence in scholarship may be included in the application as appendices.
- Letter from Department Chair or Program Director: A supporting letter from the applicant’s department chair or program director.
If the department chair or program director nominated the individual, the letter they submitted with the nomination describing the basis for the recommendation will serve as the supporting letter. The letter should include a summary statement of the applicant’s involvement in scholarly activities to include percent of work effort dedicated to scholarly activity. If the applicant has received this award previously, the statement should highlight accomplishments since the receipt of the last award.
If a department chair, program director or the associate dean of the UAMS College of Health Professions is the applicant, a supporting letter from the dean of the UAMS College of Health Professions should be included. In the case of an associate dean, a letter from the chair of the department in which the associate dean holds their faculty appointment in the UAMS College of Health Professions is also required.
Application materials should relate directly to the current nomination. The letters should address specifically the scholarly activities described in the application.
The committee strongly suggests that the nominee and nominator together identify individuals who may provide letters of support for the nomination. The nominee should contact those individuals and request the letters to be sent directly to the associate dean for research.
Completed applications should be forwarded to the associate dean for research who will form a selection committee following the guidelines in this document.
When evaluating the applications, the Committee will focus on faculty who have made outstanding contributions in scholarship. The Excellence in Scholarship Award will be presented at the discretion of the Committee and may not be awarded each year.
Excellence in Scholarship Award Selection Committee
The Excellence in Scholarship Award Selection Committee will be composed of the following:
- The associate dean for research of the UAMS College of Health Professions, who will chair the committee — If the associate dean for research is a nominee, the chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee will select an alternate member. If both the associate dean for research and chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee are nominees, the UAMS College of Health Professions dean will select an alternate member to serve as the chairperson of the Excellence in Scholarship Award Selection Committee.
- The chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee — If the chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee is a nominee the associate dean for research or the dean of the UAMS College of Health Professions will select an alternate member.
- Two department chairs and/or program directors selected by the associate dean for research
A selection committee member must recuse themselves from the proceedings in the event they have a potential conflict of interest in the selection process (e.g., a personal relationship with the nominee or the recipient of funding from grants awarded to the nominee). Failure to do so may invalidate the committee’s award recommendation.
Calendar
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Third Friday in April | The chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee distributes the UAMS College of Health Professions Excellence in Scholarship Award criteria and procedures to UAMS College of Health Professions department chairs and program directors. A formal, public announcement seeking nominations for the Excellence in Scholarship Award is distributed to all College of Health Professions faculty and students. |
| First Fridays in May and June | The chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee sends reminders about the nomination deadline. |
| Fourth Friday in June | Nomination Deadline — Nomination forms (signed by both nominator and nominee) and supporting letters must be received by the associate dean for research by this date. The associate dean for research will verify the eligibility of the nominee and request a complete application packet from the nominee’s department chair or program director. |
| First Friday in August | Deadline for nominees to submit complete applications to the associate dean for research |
| First Friday in September | Selection Deadline — The Excellence in Scholarship Award Selection Committee selects the UAMS College of Health Professions Excellence in Scholarship Award recipient(s), and the associate dean for research sends the committee’s recommendation(s) to the dean. |
| Fall Faculty Meeting | Excellence in Scholarship Award recipient(s) recognized at an awards ceremony |