------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter Seven - Awards and Award Committees I. Board of Trustees' Award for Outstanding Teaching Creation of the Award The Board of Trustees voted the following recommendation by one of its committees, at the Annual Meeting on June 6, 1959: That a FACULTY AWARD be established to give recognition from time to time to a faculty member who, in the judgment of a suitable committee of the faculty, is an outstanding teacher who has made a notable professional contribution. It is important in the concept of this award that only faculty members known for excellence in teaching be eligible. The professional contribution could be in any appropriate category, including distinguished excellence in teaching; writing a fine textbook; study or teaching; conceiving an idea of great importance to the advancement of the engineering profession or of engineering education; directing or conducting outstanding research; creating an important invention; carrying out some distinguished service to the Institute, the community, the Nation or to mankind. Nominations should be made to the Board of Trustees by a committee of the faculty. The Executive Committee of the Faculty might perform this function. However, there would seem to be greater merit in having a special committee for this important, time-requiring purpose - made up of faculty with a rotating membership involving, after a starting period, at least three years of service per member. Such a committee might well be chosen by faculty members who have served at WPI for more than a designated number of years. It is proposed that a committee of the faculty be designated to prepare Governing Rules relating to the Faculty Award and to the Faculty Award Committee, its composition, organization, and operations. These Governing Rules should be subject to approval of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, with counsel of the Institute President and Executive Vice-President. It is proposed that the Board of Trustees specify that except in most unusual circumstances, not more than one such award will be made per year, and that there shall be no requirement that such an award be made each year. It is proposed that the award consist of an appropriately worded, hand-illuminated, framed certificate or a suitably designed and worded, wood-mounted plaque. In addition, it is proposed that at some suitable, prominent location at the Institute, there be an appropriate plaque on which will be inserted the names and years of Faculty Award recipients. Further, it is proposed that the Journal or handbook of the Institute include the names of Faculty Award recipients who are currently on the WPI faculty, together with a terse statement of the faculty contribution recognized in each case. As to the occasion for presenting such awards and as to other questions which may arise, it is proposed that the faculty committee assigned responsibility for formulating Governing Rules be given such additional responsibilities also - their decisions similarly to be subject to approval of the Board Chairman. Governing Rules Relating to the Faculty Award (Faculty Award Committee, April 13, 1960) In the selection of the recipient of the Faculty Award, the Faculty Award Committee acted in accordance with the general instructions provided in the action of the Board of Trustees and used the following criteria in making its choice. First, and foremost, the recipient had to satisfy the requirement of being an outstanding teacher. The Committee realized at the start of its deliberations that what constituted an "outstanding teacher" would, of necessity, involve intangibles incapable of being transformed into clearly stated language. With this in mind, the Committee felt that the teacher would have to be judged as a whole, rather than by a strictly numerical rating system assigning certain weights to fixed categories. However, the Committee did examine each nomination with respect to the degree to which some of the following attributes of an excellent teacher were met. The excellent teacher is sincerely interested in both the students and his subject matter. He has the knack of "getting his material across." He is devoted to the persistent and patient search for truth, and is anxious to share his learning experiences with others. The first-rate professor has far more than the average ability and desire to communicate. He is excited about the why and how of many things. An important part of the reward of an outstanding teacher is in the stimulation of the students' intellectual curiosity, and the feeling that he has played a significant role in their resulting growth. Frequently, his approach is imaginative and sensitive. He expects and obtains a high level of accomplishment. This demands, among other things, ability on the instructor's part to equitably evaluate the work of his students. His interest in them is further evidenced by a willingness to patiently discuss their problems with them. He is respected by his students and is esteemed by his colleagues for his knowledge, scholarship and intellectual integrity. Usually such a person is considered as an authority in his chosen field, and is so recognized by other authorities in that field. In addition to the above attributes the Committee also took into account other scholarly and professional contributions of the nominee such as publications, consulting work in his field, activities in professional organizations, research, and public service. And finally, the recipient's career was characterized by generous service to Tech. In summary, the selection of the recipient was made on the basis of the individual as a whole. The following rules were also drawn up and followed in making the selection: 1. The recipient had to be a full time member of the faculty actively engaged in teaching at the time that the selection was made. 2. Members of the administration were ineligible in spite of the fact that they had been members of the faculty in the past. 3. Heads of departments, unless they were carrying more than a half teaching load, in addition to their administrative duties, were ineligible. 4. Members of the Faculty Award Committee were ineligible. 5. Each member of the faculty was invited to submit one or more nominations. 6. Each member of the Committee was invited to submit one or more nominations. Organization of the Award Committee (Committee on Governance, November 20, 1995) The selection committee for the Trustees' Award for Outstanding Teaching was established by recommendation of the Committee on Governance, November 20, 1995, as follows: COG recommends to the Provost and the Trustees' Committee on Academic Policy and Student Affairs the following composition for the award committee: five faculty, including the three most immediately prior recipients (if willing and able to serve); one faculty member nominated by COG from a slate selected by CAP, CSA [now CASL], and CGSR; and one faculty member nominated by the Provost; five students, including four undergraduates nominated by SGA and one graduate student nominated by GSA. The faculty serve rolling three-year terms; the students one-year terms. II. Board of Trustees' Award for Outstanding Research and Creative Scholarship Rules 1. The Selection Committee shall consist of the three most recent recipients of the awards, the Associate Provost and a person selected by the Committee on Graduate Studies & Research. The chair of the committee should be the award recipient serving the third year. If the committee cannot be wholly formed in this manner, then the Chair of the Committee on Graduate Studies and Research shall make appointments as necessary. 2. Except in most unusual circumstances, not more than one such award will be made per year. There is no requirement that the award by made each year. 3. The name of the nominee selected should be given to the Provost by March 28. 4. The recipient must be a member of the WPI faculty as defined in the Constitution of the WPI faculty. 5. Members of the Selection Committee and previous recipients of the award are ineligible. 6. Nominations may be submitted by members of the faculty, department heads, administrators, and students. 7. In the 2003-2004 academic year the recipient will be selected for creative scholarship for Engineering and Management; in 2004-2005 Natural, Computer and Mathematical Sciences; in 2005-2006, Humanities and Social Science; in 2006-2007, Engineering and Management; 2007-2008 Natural, Computer and Mathematical Sciences. This five-year cycle will start again in 2008-2009. 8. The award should be for continuing creative scholarship over at least a five-year period at WPI rather than for a particular single accomplishment, although naturally an individual brilliant accomplishment should be weighed by the Committee. 9. The Selection Committee will select the award recipient by considering the creative scholarship of the nominees. They may solicit scholarship materials from the nominators, nominees, department heads, or others as necessary. Such supporting materials should reflect a minimum five-year period at WPI. 10. Revisions of these rules may be initiated by the Selection Committee. Proposed changes will be submitted to the Provost. Note 1: The Award is conferred for scholarship and research in a discipline regardless of the individual's department. Note 2: The term "creative scholarship" encompasses creativity exemplified in works such as musical composition and poetry. III. Board of Trustees' Award for Outstanding Academic Advising Resolution Re: Trustees' Award For Outstanding Academic Advising - February 2000 Intention In recognition of the important role that academic advisors play in guiding and mentoring students through states of professional and personal development, the WPI student chapter of Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society, has for about 10 years presented an annual award for outstanding academic advising. This faculty member is selected based on input from the entire WPI student body. The students of Tau Beta Pi, wishing to enhance the status and recognition of academic advising on the WPI campus, are requesting that the WPI Board of Trustees establish a WPI Trustees' Award for Outstanding Academic Advising, to be awarded at Faculty Convocation along with the current awards for outstanding teaching and outstanding creative scholarship. It is their hope that this award would gain the prestige already accorded to the existing two Trustees' Awards, and that it would carry the same monetary stipend. The faculty Committee on Advising and Student Life voted to endorse this recommendation at their meeting of January 26, 2000, and WPI's senior administration endorses that recommendation. Resolution THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees, upon the recommendation of the senior administration of WPI, hereby establishes the Trustees' Award for Outstanding Academic Advising to be presented annually and to carry with it a stipend equal to the then current stipends for the Trustees' Awards for outstanding teaching and outstanding creative scholarship. IV. Romeo L. Moruzzi Young Faculty Award for Innovation in Undergraduate Education Romeo Moruzzi grew up in the north end of Boston and served with the U.S. Air Force in Europe during World War II. After the war, he graduated from Northeastern, received his Master's Degree from Harvard and his Doctor of Engineering degree from Yale. In 1954, after several years on the faculty of the University of Connecticut, he joined the Electrical Engineering Department of WPI. He set exceptionally high standards for his students while always concerned with their personal welfare. As the years went on, he served not only as a role model for his undergraduates, but a valued mentor to the younger faculty. In the late 1960s, Romeo became a campus leader in two historic developments. Through his efforts, and at some risk to his own position he was the person primarily responsible for bringing tenure to the faculty of WPI. In 1969, he was one of the six faculty elected to the WPI Planning Committee which developed and promoted the famous "Two Towers" series. These documents revolutionized education at WPI, and in May 1970, they were accepted by the faculty for implementation as the WPI Plan. Romeo retired from WPI in the late 1980s and passed away in 1993. It is in his memory that the Romeo L. Moruzzi Award has been established to recognize innovation in undergraduate education by a young faculty member. The Educational Development Council accepts nominations and selects the award winner on an annual basis. V. Denise Nicoletti Trustees' Award for Service to Community (Approved by the Trustees, March 2, 2003) Award Title: Denise Nicoletti Trustees' Award for Service to Community Award Description This award is in memory of Denise Nicoletti, a faculty member in Electrical and Computer Engineering from 1991-2002, whose passion for life and humanity touched many lives. The award is intended to keep her spirit alive in the WPI community. The award consists of an engraved plaque and a check. At the initiation of the award the amount of the check is $1500; this amount may increase commensurate with the other Trustee Awards. Eligibility 1. The award may be given annually to a faculty or staff member with a minimum of one year of full time or part time employment at WPI at the time of his/her nomination. 2. Previous award winners are not eligible. Award Criteria 1. The candidates for the award will be judged based on demonstrated passion and action in serving the needs of a community and genuine care for the enrichment of life for others. Service to WPI and other communities will be valued equally. 2. The service being evaluated for this award must go above and beyond the candidate's regular job description. 3. If there is no outstanding candidate in a given year, the award will not be given. 4. A maximum of one award may be made each year. Nomination Candidates will be determined by an open nomination process. Anyone inside or outside WPI may submit nominations. Nominations must include: - Name of the nominee. - Name and contact information of the nominator (self-nominations are acceptable). - The capacity in which the nominator has known the nominee, and the length of time. - Description of the nominee's eligibility for the award (at least 1-2 paragraphs). Please provide whatever information you believe would be helpful to the committee. - Names and contact information of others who would be familiar with the candidate's qualifications. The committee may seek additional information from the nominator or others. Nominations must be submitted to the President's Office or other designated location, with a target deadline of November 1 of each year, in hard copy or by email. Selection Committee The selection committee will consist of: - Two faculty members, to be selected by the Provost; - Two staff members, to be selected by Assistant Vice President of Human Resources - One graduate student, to be selected by the Graduate Student Organization; - One undergraduate student, to be selected by the Student Government Association; - At the committee's discretion, an additional member from outside the WPI community may be added; - After the first year in which the award is given, the committee will also include the most recent available award winner. If no previous award winners are available to serve, the committee will consist of the persons listed above. Presentation It is suggested that the current "Faculty Honors Convocation" be renamed "WPI Honors Convocation", be reorganized appropriately, and the presentation be made at that event. The Spirit of Denise Nicoletti Professor Denise Nicoletti was a member of the WPI faculty from 1991 until July 22, 2002. She was the first tenured female faculty member in the history of Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. During eleven years of association with WPI she made major contributions to knowledge in her discipline, brought the outside world of engineering into her classroom, and became a mentor and a role model for WPI female students as well as new faculty/staff. Such was her compassion and commitment to each student that she greatly aided the academic success of the first blind student who graduated in electrical engineering at WPI. Among her many contributions to the local community were the dissemination of science knowledge among youngsters, and the encouragement of young girls to "think engineering," to aspire to become tomorrow's scientists and astronauts. This thrust culminated in the foundation of Camp Reach in 1996 and an NSF-funded project for developing pre-engineering curricula for grades K-6. All of her activities were marked by concern for the disadvantaged and for the student in trouble. She upheld high standards of fairness and ethical conduct, and she stood up for the rights of women on the WPI campus. She contributed broadly to the welfare of students and to the advancement of WPI, leaving an indelible mark with her teaching, advising and her humane attitude. She accomplished all these things within the context of her family and local community, being a mother, a wife, and an active member of her church congregation.