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Faculty Awards

Ellen Olmstead, Full-Time Faculty of the Year
Ellen Olmstead, 2022-2023 Full-Time Faculty of the Year
Natalya Bah, 2022-2023 Part-Time Faculty of the Year
Natalya Bah, 2022-2023 Part-Time Faculty of the Year

The Outstanding Faculty Awards provide the College community with an opportunity to more thoroughly recognize excellence in a variety of positions at the College and add a special dimension to the awards the College already provide. Awards are given to part-time and full-time faculty, and there are different award categories given out to faculty.

The Full-Time Faculty of the Year Award and the Part-Time Faculty of the Year Award celebrate excellence in teaching and/or counseling and academic advising. Each of the award recipients receive a $5,000 cash award. Finalists for the awards are recommended by two committees. A committee of eight members—five faculty members (including at least one counseling faculty member) selected by the Faculty Council, plus two administrators and a faculty committee chair appointed by the president—will evaluate nominations for faculty awards.

The creation of these awards was based on recommendations made by Dr. Sanjay Rai, who explored the criteria for extraordinary performance by faculty. For a list of all faculty who have received outstanding teaching award, please see the Outstanding Faculty Award Recipient List.


Awards Information

Full-Time Faculty Awards

Montgomery College Outstanding Full-Time Faculty Awards (MCOFA) 

14 Outstanding Full-Time Faculty Awards:

  • 9 Awards: Excellence in Teaching and Excellence in Counseling and Academic Advising
  • 2 Awards: Excellence in Scholarly or Professional Accomplishments
  • 2 Awards: Excellence in Service to the Institution and/or the Community
  • 1 Awards: MC Full-Time Professor of the Year

Announcement of Awards
The President of Montgomery College will announce all of the above awards at the same time and place, preferably the Closing Meeting of the spring semester.

Award Categories
Nominators will nominate the candidate for one of the awards and supporting letters should address the candidate’s qualifications for that award. All nominees will be considered for the MC Faculty of the Year Award.

Eligibility
A current full-time faculty member who has been a full-time faculty member at the College for at least 3 years is eligible for any one of the above 14 awards. A faculty member may receive the same award more than one time as long as at least 7 years have intervened. If a faculty member has received one award, he or she may receive an award in another category as long as 2 years have intervened. Every full-time faculty member at Montgomery College is eligible to be nominated, even if he or she received a previous Faculty Outstanding Service award, but not if he or she received a Montgomery College Outstanding Faculty award.

Department Chairs are eligible to be nominated and to receive any of the above awards.  Self-nominations are acceptable.  In this case, the self-nominating individual will submit their own nomination packet, including the nomination letter. 

Awards
Monetary Awards will be the same for the above 13 professors. In the recent past, the award was $2,000 each; the amount will depend on the College’s financial situation. The monetary award for the one MC Faculty of the Year will be considerably more; the amount will depend on the College’s financial situation. In recent past, the amount was $5,000.

MCOFA Committee
MC Outstanding Faculty Awards (MCOFA) Committee Formed:

  • 5 faculty (including at least one counseling faculty) selected by Faculty Council; of these 5 faculty, the President will appoint the Faculty Chair of the Committee, usually the previous year’s MC Full-Time Faculty of the Year.
  • 2 administrators will appointed by the President of the College.
  • Members of the Committee cannot be nominated for a MCOFA award; however, members of the Committee can be nominators.
  • The MC Faculty of the Year will be invited to be a member of the MCOFA Committee, as the sixth faculty member, the year following his or her award.

The nominator provides a nomination statement. The nomination statement should address the criteria listed for excellence in teaching and/or excellence in counseling/advising; excellence in scholarly or professional accomplishments; and excellence in service to the institution and/or the community. The MC Faculty of the Year will be selected from among ALL the nominated candidates. Therefore, the nomination packet should include accomplishments in the other two areas. Including all areas in the nomination packet will mean that all nominations will be considered for the MC Faculty of the Year.

The nominator should provide specific supporting documents that demonstrate the award criteria. The committee will focus only on professional accomplishments completed during the last seven years. The only information under consideration of the committee is the information included in the nomination packet. It is the responsibility of the nominator to assemble the packet and upload it all at the same time in the online form.

1. Supporting documents required for all awards:

a. Curriculum vitae or resume of nominee—focusing especially on major achievements or contributions.

b. Thoughtful statement of teaching or advising philosophy. Two pages maximum. In this statement, the nominee may want to include 1) innovative techniques developed to assess student learning and/or to provide feedback, 2) a created course or a revised curriculum, 3) specific examples of effective advising and mentoring techniques, 4) steps taken to extend the learning process beyond the classroom or advising office, 5) innovative teaching or advising techniques shared with other faculty, 6) creative ways in which teaching or advising draws upon one’s research or public service, and/or 7) contributions to peer discussions of teaching, advising, and/or course design through publications, presentations, web sites, etc.

c. Professional Log (Optional). Two pages maximum. Select one of the following:

  • Teaching Log: List the course titles, levels, and a brief description of each course the faculty is teaching, including a brief description of several assignments.
  • Counseling/Advising Log: Describe counseling/advising programs/strategies/methodologies the faculty uses that address students’ specific needs, indicate recognition of students’ individual and/or cultural characteristics, and foster student learning, development, and success.

d. A minimum of two, maximum of three, letters of support from former students are required. Letters must be from students within the last six years. Two pages maximum per letter. Please share the Student Guidance for Faculty Recommendations (PDF, Get Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader - Link opens in new window) with student recommenders.

e. Three letters of support from faculty/staff members are required: at least one letter must be from a faculty member in the same discipline. Two pages maximum per letter.

f. One letter from the nominee’s chair, dean, or a relevant administrator is required. Two pages maximum.

2. Additional suitable documentation with approximate dates may include the following, and should be noted in the Curriculum Vitae:

a. books or articles published within the last 7 years, excluding self-published items

b. student evaluations; evidence of student success/achievement

c. awards/recognitions received for writing, grants, or research

d. identification of the achievements of grants or research

e. letters of commendation for service on national boards or as leaders of a national organization

f. conference agendas, videos, brochures, performance programs

g. published results of research

h. awards received from the community or county

i. recognition or awards received from the College

j. specific goals accomplished via committee work, especially college-wide committees*

k. specific goals accomplished through service to the community*

*Priority consideration will be given for activities for which an individual has not received or is not receiving ESH.

November 
Awards and criteria announced to College community

November - December
Faculty Council will be asked to nominate faculty members to serve on the committee

February
Committee assembled

March 1
Submission Deadline

March
Committee deliberations

Early April
Committee submits recommendations

May
Announcements and presentation of MCOFA winners takes place as part of the Closing Meeting by College President, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Senior Vice President for Student Affairs

Graduation
The MC Full-Time Faculty of the Year and the MC Part-Time Faculty of the Year will be acknowledged at the annual Montgomery College Commencement. The MC Full-Time Faculty of the Year will bear the Mace to demonstrate the significance of faculty in student achievement.

Part-Time Faculty Awards

View the documents below to get additional information on the awards available for part-time faculty:

  1. Excellence in Teaching/Counseling Award (PDF, Get Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader - Link opens in new window)  
  2. Excellence in Scholarly or Professional Accomplishments Award (PDF, Get Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader - Link opens in new window)  
  3. Part-Time Faculty of the Year Award (PDF, Get Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader - Link opens in new window)

Montgomery College Outstanding Part-Time Faculty Awards (MCOPFA) 

7 Outstanding Part-Time Faculty Awards:

  • 4 Awards: Excellence in Teaching/Counseling
  • 2 Awards: Excellence in Scholarly or Professional Accomplishments
  • 1 Award: MC Part-Time Professor of the Year

Announcement of Awards
The President of Montgomery College will announce all of the above awards at the same time and place, preferably the Closing Meeting of the spring semester.

Eligibility
A current part-time faculty member who has been a part-time faculty member at the College for at least 3 years is eligible for any one of the above awards. A part-faculty member may receive the same award more than one time as long as at least 7 years have intervened. If a part-faculty member has received an award, he or she may receive an award in another category as long as 2 years have intervened.

Awards
The monetary awards will be the same amount for each of the MC Excellence in Teaching/Counseling and the MC Excellence in Scholarship/Professional Activity awards, which will be $2,000. The MC Part-time Faculty of the Year award will be $5000. However, the amount of each award will depend on the College’s financial situation.

MCOPFA Committee
MC Outstanding Part-Time Faculty Awards (MCOPFA) Committee will be comprised of the following individuals:

  • 5 part-time faculty (including at least one counseling faculty), selected by Faculty Council; of these 5 faculty, the president will appoint the chair of the committee
  • 2 administrators will be appointed by the president of the college

The MC Part-Time Faculty of the Year recipient will be invited to be a member of the MCOPFA Committee the year following his or her award.

The nominator provides a nomination statement. The nomination statement should address the criteria listed for excellence in teaching and/or excellence in counseling/advising; excellence in scholarly or professional accomplishments; and excellence in service to the institution and/or the community. The MC Part-Time Faculty of the Year will be selected from among ALL the nominated candidates. Therefore, the nomination packet should include accomplishments in the other two areas. Including all areas in the nomination packet will mean that all nominations will be considered for the MC Faculty of the Year.

The nominator should provide specific supporting documents that demonstrate the award criteria. The committee will focus especially on professional accomplishments completed during the last seven years. The only information under consideration of the committee is the information included in the nomination packet. It is the responsibility of the nominator to assemble the packet and upload it all at the same time in the online form.
 
1. Supporting documents required for all awards:

a. Curriculum vitae or resume of nominee—focusing especially on courses taught, as well as major achievements or contributions.

b. Thoughtful statement of teaching or advising philosophy. Two pages maximum. In this statement, the nominee may want to include 1) innovative techniques developed to assess student learning and/or to provide feedback, 2) a created course or a revised curriculum, 3) specific examples of effective advising and mentoring techniques, 4) steps taken to extend the learning process beyond the classroom or advising office, 5) innovative teaching or advising techniques shared with other faculty, 6) creative ways in which teaching or advising draws upon one’s research or public service, and/or 7) contributions to peer discussions of teaching, advising, and/or course design through publications, presentations, web sites, etc.

c. Brief Statement about “Why MC?

Nominee provides statement about what they like most about teaching/serving at Montgomery College, along with 1-2 pictures of themselves (Note: picture(s) are preferred for virtual banquet, but it is optional and will not negatively impact the nominee's application)

d. At least ONE letter of support from former student(s) is required. One of them must be from a student within the last six years. Two pages maximum per letter. *Additional letters of support are always welcomed. Please share the Student Guidance for Faculty Recommendations (PDF, Get Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader - Link opens in new window) with student recommenders.

e. At least ONE letter of support from faculty/staff member(s) is required: at least one letter must be from a faculty member in the same discipline. Two pages maximum per letter. *Additional letters of support are always welcomed

f. One letter from the nominee’s chair, dean, or a relevant administrator is required. Two pages maximum.

2. Additional suitable documentation with approximate dates may include the following, and should be noted in the Curriculum Vitae:

a. books or articles published within the last 7 years, excluding self-published items

b. student evaluations; evidence of student success/achievement

c. awards/recognitions received for writing, grants, or research

d. identification of the achievements of grants or research

e. letters of commendation for service on national boards or as leaders of a national organization

f. conference agendas, videos, brochures, performance programs

g. published results of research

h. awards received from the community or county

i. recognition or awards received from the College

j. specific goals accomplished via committee work, especially college-wide committees*

k. specific goals accomplished through service to the community*

*Priority consideration will be given for activities for which an individual has not received or is not receiving ESH.

November 
Awards and criteria announced to college community

November - December
The MCOPA Committee will be made up of previous year Awardees with the Part-Time Faculty of the Chairing the committee. If there are not enough awardees available to serve, Faculty Council will be asked to nominate faculty members to serve on the committee

February
Committee assembled

March 1
Submission Deadline

March
Committee deliberations

Early April
Committee submits recommendations

May
Announcements and presentation of MCOPA winners takes place as part of the Closing Meeting by College President, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Senior Vice President for Student Affairs

Graduation
The MC Full-Time Faculty Member of the Year and the MC Part-Time Faculty of the Year will be acknowledged at the annual Montgomery College Commencement. 

Communications

Webpage last updated on December 1, 2022.