By Chelsea L. McDowell
Reporter
Did you know that you can nominate your favorite lecturer or faculty member for a cash prize?
In February the office of the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs issued a call via email for nominations of lecturers and faculty members to be considered for an award.
The email stated nominations have to be “accompanied by a signed, written statement, not to exceed 600 words, summarizing your reasons for supporting the nominee. The statement should be factual and concise.”
Any CSUB student is sure to have at least one professor that has inspired or encouraged her or him, so why aren’t more students aware of the call for nominations?
Sociology major Clarissa Jimenez had not nominated any faculty member this year.
“I didn’t actually know it was a thing, but I would have, because I have some pretty good professors,” Jimenez said. “Sometimes I forget to check my CSUB email, so I might have got something , but sometimes I get so much stuff that it’s hard to look through.”
Jimenez is not the only student who tends to overlook their CSUB email, Junior English major Jorge Lopez also doesn’t frequent his Outlook page.
“Usually the only time I check my email is when I know someone’s sending me stuff,” Lopez said.
First year Engineering Sciences major Nellie Santana is in her second semester at CSUB and would not have nominated a lecturer or faculty member had she known about the awards.
“I didn’t know that was a thing and usually I just go in and listen to what they have to say,” Santana said. “I haven’t created a bond with any of them, just because it is General Ed. So I can’t really connect with them as much.”
The Faculty Honors and Awards Committee sought out students to nominate faculty for categories such as the Outstanding Lecturer Award, the Faculty Leadership and Service Award, the Millie Ablin Excellence in Teaching Award, the Faculty Scholarship and Creative Activity Award, and the Promising New Faculty Award.
The nominations are due March 30, and then the Faculty Honors and Awards Committee will submit their recommendations to the Academic Senate for approval on April 23 before awarding any full-time faculty member.
Nominations for the Emeritus Awards were due by March 9. The Emeritus Award differs from the other five awards because it honors retired or retiring faculty members, regardless of rank and administrative officers with academic rank, while the others award current staff members.
“You are encouraged to participate,” The call for nominations email read. “CSUB is known for its excellent faculty, and now is the time to formally acknowledge a faculty member you feel is especially deserving of recognition.”
Each award has its own requirements for who can be nominated. Along with recognition for the impact faculty and lecturers have in the lives of students, winners of each award are honored with a cash prize of at least a thousand dollars, which is funded by the CSUB Foundation.
Dr. Kathleen Ritter was a psychology professor at CSUB and the 2007/08 recipient for the Faculty Leadership and Service award.
“I am very pleased to have received the award. It makes me quite proud that I was able to serve CSUB for so many years, and to give back to an institution that gave me so very much,” Ritter said.
Nominations are to be submitted by administrators, faculty, students, or alumni to Assistant to the Vice Provost Renee Martin at [email protected]. For more information contact the Provost and Vice President, (661) 654-2155.
