Faculty Awards

In recognition of exceptional teaching, RUC receives nominations each year for the Teaching Award (typically presented once per year) to regular faculty members or sessional instructors. The adjudication committee will seek to ensure that the full range of instructors is recognized in its selections.

Nominations can be submitted by faculty, staff, or students. Self-nominations are encouraged. A nomination package will include the candidate’s full CV (for tenured and tenure-track faculty only) and a letter of nomination (of no more than 750 words) outlining the candidate’s teaching effectiveness, demonstrated by appropriately contextualized information from relevant indicators (e.g., course outlines, student feedback). Where appropriate, and depending on the nature of the teaching appointment, nomination letters may also address the following:

• Proven consistency in teaching excellence over time, and between different levels and course sizes;
• Implementation of new and varied approaches related to course development; structure and delivery; and/or;
• Mentoring of colleagues for the purpose of promoting better teaching.

To recognize exceptional achievement in research, RUC will present a Research Award to a faculty member (including CLs and DTLs). While it is anticipated that the award will be presented annually, in any given year, the adjudicating committee holds the right to not present the award as determined by the quality of nomination packages. The adjudication committee will ensure that the full spectrum of research areas (e.g., culture and language, humanities, interdisciplinary research, social science, and social work) is considered. Nominations will be accepted on behalf of oneself or a colleague.

Nomination for the Renison Research Award may be based on consideration of a body of work developed over a number of years, or a particularly meaningful research contribution within a shorter period of time. In either case, the quality and impact of the work, to the degree that the latter may be reasonably determined, will be taken into account.

A nomination package will include the nominee’s full CV, a formal letter of nomination (1000-word max.), and a summary of the research achievement (200-word max.). This letter should detail: (a) the nominee’s rank and career stage; (b) a summary of the nominee’s program of research and/or the specific research achievement for which they are being nominated; and (c) an assessment of the disciplinary or interdisciplinary significance of the nominee’s research in the context of the nomination.

Support for this assessment (c) may include, but is not limited to:

• The nominee’s research achievement(s) in comparison to peers at a similar career stage and at comparable academic institutions.
• The quantity and quality of the nominee’s research contributions in the context of the nominee’s discipline.
• If applicable in the context of the nomination, the nominee’s success in securing external research funding.
• If applicable in the context of the nomination, the nominee’s leadership in research teams, networks, centres, or other collaborative venues.
• If applicable in the context of the nomination, the nominee’s success in communicating research results to relevant audiences beyond the Academy.

In recognition of exceptional service, RUC receives nominations each year for the Service Award (typically presented once per year). The adjudication committee will seek to ensure that the full range of service provided by regular faculty is recognized in its selection. 

Nominations can be submitted by faculty or staff. Self-nominations are encouraged. A nomination package will include the candidate’s full CV and a letter of nomination (of no more than 750 words) incorporating evidence of:

• a specific, high-impact project or initiative, or impact that goes substantially beyond the usual standard of excellent service and that benefits the individual’s unit or peers, RUC, or the broader university community; and/or
• an exceptional level of commitment and impact, sustained over a significant period of time.