To recognize exceptional teaching in 2019, the Holling Family Award Program provides up to four awards in each category: Senior Faculty Teaching Award, Junior Faculty Teaching Award, and Teaching Assistant Award.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has a rich heritage of teaching excellence. The Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR) and the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA) not only share this reputation but are regarded as leaders among their peers. Both are proud to claim some of the leading teachers and the most innovative programs in the University of Nebraska System.

IANR and NCTA are proud of their reputation for teaching excellence, and are continually striving to improve their quality. Preparing individuals in the agricultural sciences and natural resources for the 21st century requires continuous academic and extension education program revitalization, educational material development and educational programming enhancement and innovation. The Holling Family Award Program for Teaching Excellence in Agriculture and Natural Resources was established to celebrate imaginative educational programming and innovations (presentation and delivery) in IANR or NCTA educational programs. Teaching includes college campus, extended campus, or community. This award program recognizes the full continuum of educational programming from college campus to youth, adult and community programming.

The Holling Family Award Program for Teaching Excellence was made possible by a gift from the Holling family to honor their pioneer parents. John Holling was a 1912 electrical engineering graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and his brother, Gustave Holling, attended the College of Agriculture before farming the family’s land in the Wood River Area.

Award Categories & Eligibility

1. Up to four (4) Senior Faculty Teaching Awards of approximately $5,000 each. Individuals within the University of Nebraska System receiving a Holling award from any college may be nominated for a second award after eight (8) years have elapsed.
2. Up to four (4) Junior Faculty Teaching Awards of approximately $3,000 each. “Junior Faculty” is defined as those individuals having six (6) years or less employment in a faculty position. A faculty member may receive this award only once.
3. Up to four (4) Teaching Assistant Awards of approximately $1,000 each. A recipient of this award is not eligible to be nominated a second time.

The Holling Family Fund for distinguished teaching is to recognize outstanding contributions by faculty and teaching assistants in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR), Extension (only faculty in agriculture and natural resources subject areas), and the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA). Faculty recipients must hold faculty appointments in CASNR, Extension or NCTA.

Nominations

Nominations may be made by peers and/or administrators who feel that a particular individual effort is deserving of special recognition. All nominations should be submitted through the appropriate IANR Head or Director to the cognizant Dean, or through the appropriate NCTA Program Director to the NCTA Dean. The nomination will be submitted by the Dean to the Holling Family Award Program for Teaching Excellence Selection Committee (103 Agricultural Hall, East Campus 0702). After reviewing all initial nominations, the selection committee may request additional information concerning those nominees it wishes to consider further.

The Selection Committee

A selection committee consisting of an Assistant/Associate CASNR Dean (who also serves as chair of the selection committee), an Assistant/Associate Extension Dean, an Assistant/Associate NCTA Dean, a representative selected by the CASNR Faculty Advisory Council, and a representative selected by the Extension Advisory Committee will review nominations. The committee will make recommendations to the CASNR Dean, the Extension Dean and the NCTA Dean. The recipients will be recognized at the awards ceremony held in the spring on the Lincoln campus.

Selection Criteria

The committee will consider the following criteria in making their rankings of the faculty nominations:

• Identification of innovative and effective teaching;
• Description of goals, target audience, estimated numbers involved, other colleagues involved, and time line;
• Outcomes of teaching activity on the learners, types of learner activities utilized (e.g., active learning; cooperative or collaborative learning; interactive learning using technology; and, distance learning processes);
• Evidence of peer evaluation of the nominee’s work including letters of endorsement or support that indicate faculty assessment of innovation.

The committee will consider the following criteria for teaching assistant nominations:

• Successful performance in the classroom with preference given to those introducing imaginative and/or innovative instructional practices into the classroom or laboratory;
• Enthusiasm and commitment to teaching;
• Satisfactory progress towards a degree;
• Letter(s) of support from their graduate adviser and students in the classroom.