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Printer-Friendly ModeStudents nominate profs for annual awards
February 11, 2008 —
Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to nominate faculty for two different awards meant to honor professors who excel at what they do.
The first of these awards is the Franc A. Landee Award and is given to a full-time faculty member. The award is meant to honor a professor who exhibits teaching excellence. First awarded in 1971, this has become one of the greatest honors for an SVSU professor to receive.
"It is one of the most prestigious awards faculty can achieve at SVSU," Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Deborah Huntley said.
The Mary H. Anderson Award is meant to honor an adjunct faculty member. The award was first given in 1994 and is in honor of an adjunct who worked at SVSU until 1989. It was developed by Anderson's husband after her death. At the time the award was created, 216 adjuncts were working at SVSU. That number today is over 350.
"In the past adjuncts have not had much attention given to them," Director of the Office of Adjunct Faculty Support Ann Coburn-Collins said. "It's nice for them to be honored."
The award recognizes adjuncts because while teaching may not be their full-time position it is often something that is very important to them and the award lets them know someone recognizes this.
"Teaching is my passion," Coburn-Collins said. "And for a lot of adjuncts teaching is their passion as well."
While alumni, faculty, and staff may all nominate professors for these awards, students also play an important part in the nomination process. Coburn-Collins wishes more students would nominate those they feel are worthy of recognition.
"I think if more students knew about it maybe they would nominate," Coburn-Collins said.
In hopes of making things simpler the nomination forms this year can be filled out electronically.
"This year, we went with completely electronic submissions and we have had excellent response," Huntley said. "It is not too late to nominate faculty by going to the Web site and selecting the appropriate award."
Descriptions of each award and nomination forms can be found at www.svsu.edu/acadaffairs/faculty-awards.html. The deadline for each award is Feb. 15.