Outstanding teaching is an integral part of Mason’s mission and is deserving of significant recognition. The Teaching Excellence Awards are both institutional recognition and a monetary acknowledgment of the significant work that faculty members devote to course planning and preparation; curriculum development; and innovative teaching, advising, and undergraduate and graduate mentoring. We urge you to take this opportunity to recognize teaching excellence at Mason; please nominate someone you view as an outstanding educator for this honor.
Nomination Process:
The George Mason University Teaching Excellence Awards are open to all full-time faculty members who have already completed at least 3 years of full-time teaching at George Mason.
As part of this process, Stearns Center offers a Teaching Excellence Award with special recognition in Mason Core teaching, one that recognizes teaching for High Impact Learning, and one to recognize teaching for Inclusion and Equity. Nominees who qualify for the Mason Core recognition should have taught Core courses at least three of the last six years; nominees who qualify for the High Impact Learning recognition should have taught courses aligned with Mason Impact guidelines in three of the past five years; nominees who qualify for the Inclusion and Equity recognition should have a multi-year record of teaching courses where the content and approaches align with key inclusive teaching principles.
Nominations from students, faculty members, or administrators are welcome. Nominations are accepted on a rolling basis; any nominations submitted after the deadline will be considered for the following awards cycle.
Faculty will be evaluated on the following criteria for teaching excellence:
- Growth and development as an educator
- Student and learner engagement
- Assessment of student learning and achievement
- Teaching effectiveness and impact
The nomination form will prompt you for answers to three questions about the faculty member’s teaching; you may add more information if you wish. If you have questions or would like further information, please contact us.
The 2025 Teaching Excellence Award Nominations are now closed!
Method: Our online form will return in Spring 2025 for nominations for 2026 TEAs.
Criteria:
Submissions will be evaluated according to the following guidelines:
For more assistance, please see our suggestions on Documenting Your Teaching.
The Selection Process:
- Nominations are accepted in early Fall.
- Nominees will be invited to provide a 5-page teaching vita and a 5-page teaching statement to the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning by late October.
- The Committee will select and announce finalists in mid-December.
- Finalists will be invited to provide a detailed teaching portfolio by early February.
- The Teaching Excellence Award winners will be selected by early April.
- Our recognition ceremony for all our award winners will be in April. Winners receive a stipend as well as formal recognition; Teachers of Distinction will also be recognized at this ceremony.
