Award Eligibility
The Selection Process
Notification

(see also Entry Instructions)

Nominees compete with their peers in one of the following categories (based on the Carnegie classification system)

• Outstanding Baccalaureate Colleges Professor
• Outstanding Community Colleges Professor
• Outstanding Doctoral and Research Universities Professor
• Outstanding Master’s Universities and Colleges Professor

Judges will rate entries for extraordinary work in undergraduate teaching using the following criteria:

• Impact on and involvement with undergraduate students (25 percent)
• A scholarly approach to teaching and learning (25 percent)
• Contributions to undergraduate education in the institution, community and profession (25 percent)
• Support from colleagues and current and former undergraduate students (25 percent)

Meeting the award program’s demanding criteria is not easy. As a result, not every eligible state and jurisdiction will have a winner each year. In 2009 for example, there were winners in 38 states, the District of Columbia and Guam (this includes both national and state award winners).

Award Eligibility

• Nominees must have taught at the undergraduate level, part- or full-time, for at least one semester in the 2009-10 academic year; materials primarily should reflect work with undergraduate students.
• Nominator must be a colleague of the candidate or an administrator at the candidate’s institution.
• Individuals can win in their state only once but can reapply to enter at the national level at any time.
• Previous state winners who have moved to an institution in another state may be renominated at the state level.
• Professors currently on sabbatical should be nominated next year.
• Only three nominations will be accepted per institution.
• Self-nominations and nominations by students are not accepted.

The Selection Process
Judging takes place in several stages under the purview of three separate panels. The first panel, assembled by CASE, is comprised of deans and professors, education reporters, and government and foundation representatives. They select about 100 preliminary winners out of the entire candidate pool. A second similar panel winnows this number down to 24 finalists.

The third panel is convened by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. This grand jury, which usually includes a former U.S. Professor of the Year, a student, an education association representative, and other campus representatives, selects the outstanding U.S. professors in the four categories and completes the selection of state winners from entries that meet the program’s demanding criteria.

Notification
CASE will notify all nominators of the status of their nominees by the end of September. Nominators are asked to inform their nominees of their status. To find a complete list of winners, visit www.usprofessorsoftheyear.org at the time of the November awards ceremony.