Dear Colleagues,
Together, we are taking on the monumental task of transforming our excellent institution into one that is truly extraordinary. It is important that early on in this journey, we take stock of and celebrate the outstanding work already taking place across our campuses. The University of Nebraska System’s President’s Excellence Awards present a valuable chance to do just that.
These awards are the highest form of recognition to celebrate success in the classroom, the laboratory and in our campus and broader communities—from research and creative activity to teaching and student outcomes.
Nominations are now open for the President’s Excellence Awards, and I encourage you to take this opportunity to nominate a colleague or department that exemplifies the best work taking place across our campuses today.
Individual winners are awarded $10,000 each, a presidential medallion and an engraved plaque. The departmental or team winner receives $25,000 to support its instructional mission. All winners, who are chosen by panels of their peers, are honored at the summer Board of Regents meeting.
Nomination criteria, information on past winners and instructions are all available on the awards webpage. All nominations are due January 10, 2025.
- Faculty IP Innovation and Commercialization Award (FIPICA): Honors members of the University of Nebraska faculty who have developed and nurtured new intellectual property from concept to licensing/startup business.
- Outstanding Research and Creative Activity Award (ORCA): Honors members of the University of Nebraska faculty who have conducted outstanding research or creative activity of national/international significance.
- Outstanding Teaching and Instructional Creativity Award (OTICA): Honors members of the University of Nebraska faculty who have developed meritorious and sustained records of excellence in teaching and creativity related to teaching.
- Innovation, Development and Engagement Award (IDEA): Honors members of the University of Nebraska faculty who have extended their academic expertise beyond the boundaries of the University in ways that have enriched the broader community.
- Innovations in Student Success Award (ISSA): Honors a faculty led or faculty-involved team effort that has made a unique and significant contribution to improving undergraduate six-year graduation rates. This award honors specific and successful innovations designed to improve retention and graduation rates among students the unit serves in a major, within a school, within a college, or throughout a campus.
- University-wide Departmental Teaching Award (UDTA): Honors a department/unit at the University of Nebraska that has outstanding esprit de corps in its dedication to the education of students at the undergraduate, graduate, or professional levels.
A culture of excellence is deeply embedded in the University of Nebraska’s legacy, and we celebrate that culture with these awards. The work done by faculty and staff is critical to our future success. I hope you will join me in our odyssey to extraordinary as we lift up the accomplishments of your colleagues and friends.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey P., Gold, M.D.
President, University of Nebraska System