US Council for Advancement of and Support of Education Nebraska Professor of the Year

The U.S. Professors of the Year program salutes the most outstanding undergraduate instructors in the country—those who excel in teaching and positively influence the lives and careers of students. Sponsored by CASE and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, it is the only national program to recognize excellence in undergraduate teaching and mentoring.

All undergraduate teachers in the United States, of any academic rank at any type of undergraduate institution, are eligible for the award. Entries are judged by top U.S. educators and other active participants in education.

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education launched the awards program in 1981. That same year, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching began hosting the final round of judging, and in 1982, became the primary sponsor.

More about Professors of the Year

Criteria

The primary characteristic the judges consider is an extraordinary dedication to undergraduate teaching, which should be demonstrated by excellence in the following areas:

• Impact on and involvement with undergraduate students (25 percent)
• A scholarly approach to teaching and learning (25 percent)
• Contributions to undergraduate education in the institution, community and profession (25 percent)
• Support from colleagues and former undergraduate students (25 percent)

The Selection Process

Judging takes place in several stages under the purview of three separate panels. The first panel, assembled by CASE, is comprised of deans and professors, education reporters, and government and foundation representatives. They select about 100 preliminary winners out of the entire candidate pool. A second similar panel winnows this number down to 24 finalists.

The third panel is convened by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. This grand jury, which usually includes a former U.S. Professor of the Year, a student, an education association representative, and other campus representatives, selects the outstanding U.S. professors in the four categories and completes the selection of state winners from entries that meet the program's demanding criteria.