Excellence in Engaged Scholarship

The University of Memphis is an urban research institution that seeks to serve its metropolitan, state, and national communities in a number of ways. Vital to this mission is scholarship that addresses the concerns and opportunities of these communities. Such scholarship

1. involves academic projects that engage faculty members and students in a sustained manner with community groups;
2. connects university outreach with community organizational goals;
3. furthers productive relationships between the university and the community;
4. results in need-inspired basic and applied research; and
5. results in excellence in engaged scholarship through such products as peer-reviewed publications, peer-reviewed collaborative reports, and external funding.

In keeping with this purpose, The University of Memphis has established a faculty award to recognize excellence in engaged scholarship. The Excellence in Engaged Scholarship Award will further awareness of engaged scholarship on partnerships between faculty members and students of the University of Memphis and community organizations and agencies in the Memphis/Mid-South region, the State of Tennessee, the United States, and global communities.

Nominations for this award are due to the Vice Provost for Research by (DATE TBA - usually 1st Friday of April).

Guidelines

Candidates must have been employed full-time by The University of Memphis for five academic years prior to the semester of their application or nomination. Faculty may not be re-nominated within 7 years of receiving an award and may not receive more than 2 awards. Nominations should include a resume with a complete list of publications (copies of publications are not required), a narrative summary of the nominee's research achievements, recommendations from the department and college or school, and at least three external letters from distinguished referees. Examples of scholarly and/or creative activities are not to be forwarded for review. Consult your College Director of Graduate Studies and Research as to the internal college deadline.

Candidates may be self-nominated or nominated by any faculty or administrative staff member employed full-time by The U of M in the semester of nomination. Those not self-nominated should be informed of their candidacy by the body receiving the nomination. All nominations must be endorsed by the unit chair.

Submission Procedure and Deadline

The nomination packet consists of the cover sheet (see below), a resume with a complete list of publications (please do not include copies of publications), a narrative summary of research aims and achievements, recommendation letters from the department/area and college/school, and at least three external letters from distinguished referees. The nominee will provide some names of possible reviewers, to be supplemented by the department chair, who will solicit the recommendations. Nominations of faculty who have won the award in the past should stress the nominee's work since that award was won.

REVIEW PROCESS

A committee will be convened to evaluate submissions. This committee reserves the right to make no award in a given year if in its judgment no sufficiently distinguished recipient can be identified. Reviewers will evaluate the nominations based on quality of scholarly contribution to the discipline; originality of contribution; recognition of work by peers; membership on student committees; external support if available in the discipline, or any other relevant quality measures. The final nominee for the Excellence in Engaged Scholarship Award is subject to confirmation by the President. The confirmed award will then be presented at the annual Faculty Convocation. Each recipient will receive a $2000 honorarium and a certificate.

Be sure and visit the College of Arts and Sciences Accolades Website for other award information.