Distinguished Teaching Awards

These awards recognize and encourage meritorious performance in undergraduate and graduate teaching in agricultural or applied economics as defined by the AAEA Vision Statement. A maximum of three awards is given:

• One for less than ten years’ undergraduate and/or graduate teaching experience as a full-time professional.
• One for ten or more years’ undergraduate teaching as a full-time professional.
• One for ten or more years’ graduate teaching as a full-time professional.

Nominations may be submitted by any member(s) of the AAEA and selection is made on the basis of nominating materials. Re-nominations are encouraged, providing materials are updated and resubmitted. If a nominee has previously won a Distinguished Teaching Award, the selection is based on activities subsequent to the previous award. Nominees must be actively engaged in teaching at a professional level during the current year.

Nominating materials should demonstrate that the nominee has outstanding ability and performance as a teacher of agricultural or applied economics as defined by the AAEA Vision Statement. The nomination packet shall include the following:

1. Award cover page (provided by AAEA) that provides the nominee's name, address, educational background, present position (including a description and the timing of instructional activities) and the time period over which the award nomination is based.
2. A letter of nomination (maximum of 3 single-spaced pages) that will be the centerpiece for evaluation. It should contain a concise statement summarizing reasons why the nominee is worthy of the award. The letter of nomination should focus on evidence that the nominee meets the criteria by which entrants are judged.
3. A biography of the nominee emphasizing current and past teaching achievements (maximum of 2 single-spaced pages).
4. A statement of teaching philosophy by the nominee (maximum of 1 single-spaced page).
5. An appendix devoted to evaluation of teaching quality (maximum of 5 single-spaced pages) may accompany the nomination.
6. Supporting materials may be submitted. These materials are limited to three items such as videos, CDs, publications, books, etc. They should be the nominee's best examples of quality. (These materials will not be returned.)

The cover page, statement of teaching philosophy, biography, and appendix devoted to evaluation shall be submitted in electronic form to the subcommittee chair in PDF format. Supporting materials can be in electronic or hard copy form, with electronic form preferred. If a hard copy of supporting materials is deemed necessary, six shall be submitted. No other material may be submitted.

The following five major areas are considered in evaluating nominations:

1. Quality of teaching.
2. Academic advising, counseling, and extracurricular activities with students.
3. Campus participation in instructional, course, and curricular improvement efforts.
4. Professional improvement in teaching for benefit of self and peers.
5. Department/college/university teaching awards.

Please submit all materials as instructed above to:

Kerry K. Litzenberg
Texas A&M University
Department of Agricultural Economics
MS 2124340 Blocker Building
College Station, TX 77843-2124
litz@tamu.edu

AAEA has provided a Distinguished Teaching Award Cover Sheet (PDF) to help with the submissions process. This form should be attached to the nomination packet when submitted.