Excellence in Service Award | UAMS College of Health Professions

Revised Dec. 8, 2021

Purpose

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences places a high priority on faculty service to the college and university, the profession and the community. The UAMS College of Health Professions Excellence in Service Award is designed to recognize the educator whose significant contributions through service are instrumental in achieving the UAMS mission.

The mission of UAMS is to improve the health, health care and well-being of all Arkansans and of others in the region, nation and the world through the following:

Education of exemplary health care providers
Provision of standard-setting, comprehensive clinical programs
Scientific discovery and research
Extension of services to the state of Arkansas and beyond

The areas of excellence for consideration include the educator’s ability to provide service at the college, university, regional, state, national or international level that supports the mission of UAMS.

The College of Health Professions and the Faculty Development and Services Committee recognize that significant contributions through service may take many forms. Service through college and university committees, professional associations, community development projects and international development efforts represent some of the forms of service to be considered. Service activities for which the faculty member is paid as well as those performed as a volunteer will be considered.

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 Service Award recipients located in the College. Also included is a cash award of $500 (the amount may vary depending on available resources).

Eligibility

Nominees must be UAMS College of Health Professions faculty members. All paid or volunteer full-time and part-time faculty, including clinical instructors, are eligible for nomination. Service activities must have been performed while a UAMS College of Health Professions faculty member.

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 students, staff or faculty members. The nominator must submit a completed nomination form and a letter describing the basis for the recommendation and 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 administrative affairs of the UAMS College of Health Professions.

The associate dean for administrative affairs of the UAMS College of Health Professions 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 full applications.

UAMS College of Health Professions Faculty Excellence Awards Nomination Form Download

Application Requirements

Current curriculum vitae of the nominee
Letters of Support: At least three supporting letters from individuals knowledgeable about the nominee’s service contributions. The letters should describe the service contributions.
Applicant’s Statement: A statement by the applicant should be included (maximum of three pages) that addresses why they merit the award. This statement should address some or all of the following areas of excellence in service. Additional documentation of accomplishments related to excellence in service may be included in the application as appendices.
- Description of accomplishments including the outcome (observable results) and impact (value judgments of accomplishments)
- Documents produced
- Reports and publications about the accomplishments
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 service activities.

If a department chair, program director or the associate dean for academic affairs of the UAMS College of Health Professions is the nominee, a supporting letter from the dean of the UAMS College of Health Professions should be included. In the case of the associate dean, a letter from the chair of the department or director of the program in which the associate dean holds their faculty appointment in the UAMS College of Health Professions is also required.

The materials submitted to the Faculty Development and Services Committee should relate directly to the current nomination. The letters should address specifically the service contributions described in the application. In the event that the chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee is a nominee, all application materials should be sent directly to the associate dean for administrative affairs.

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 chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee or the associate dean for administrative affairs if the chairperson is a nominee for the award.

The completed applications will be forwarded to the Excellence in Service Award Selection Committee for review. When evaluating the applications, ESAC will focus on faculty who have made outstanding service contributions. The Excellence in Service Award will be presented at the discretion of the Excellence in Service Award Selection Committee and may not be awarded each year.

Excellence in Service Award Selection Committee

The Award Committee will be composed of:

The associate dean for administrative affairs of the UAMS College of Health Professions will chair the committee
The chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee – If the chairperson is a nominee, the associate dean for administrative affairs of the UAMS College of Health Professions will select an alternate member
A UAMS College of Health Professions department chair or program director selected by the UAMS College of Health Professions Executive Committee
A currently enrolled student (selected by the UAMS College of Health Professions Student Advisory Committee).

An Excellence in Service Award Selection Committee member must recuse themself 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 College’s Excellence in Service 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 Service Award is distributed to all UAMS College of Health Professions faculty, staff 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 from nominators must be received by the chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee by this date. After the associate dean for administrative affairs of the UAMS College of Health Professions verifies the eligibility of the nominee, the chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee will request a complete application packet from the nominees.
First Friday in August	Deadline for nominees to submit complete applications to the chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee or associate dean for administrative affairs Deadline for associate dean for administrative affairs to assemble the Excellence in Service Award Selection Committee.
First Friday in September	Deadline for the Excellence in Service Award Selection Committee to select the UAMS College of Health Professions Excellence in Service Award recipient. Deadline for the associate dean for administrative affairs to send the Excellence in Service Award Selection Committee recommendation to the dean.
Fall Faculty Meeting	Excellence in Service Award recipient recognized at an awards ceremony.