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The Committee on the Awards for Excellence in the Teaching of Classics at the College Level invites nominations for the 2015 SCS Awards for Excellence in Teaching. In order to give special and public expression to the Society’s commitment to honor and foster excellence in the teaching of the Classics we welcome nominations of faculty teaching Classics in all sorts of departments, whether public or private, in large institutions or small. Please note carefully the deadlines and procedures described below.

One to three awards for excellence in the teaching of the Classics will be given to college and university teachers from the United States and Canada. Thanks to a very generous gift to the Society’s Gatekeeper to Gateway Campaign for the Future of Classics from Daniel and Joanna Rose each winner will receive a certificate of award and a cash prize of $500. In addition, each winner’s institution will receive $200 to purchase educational resources selected by the winner. The awards will be presented at the Plenary Session of the Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA in January 2016.

Click here for the list of previous winners.

Criteria: The following factors are considered in the selection process: (a) excellence in the teaching of Classics at the undergraduate or graduate level; (b) subject matter that is "classical" in the widest sense, i.e., Greek and Latin language, literature, culture, mythology, history, etymology; and (c) the design and successful implementation of new courses and programs. Winners of these awards must be members of the SCS and have a minimum of three years of teaching experience prior to nomination. By action of the SCS Board of Directors, only individuals may be considered for these awards.

Nomination: While a letter of self-nomination may be necessary in exceptional cases, a letter of nomination is preferred. Nominators, who need not be SCS members, may be administrators, chairpersons, departmental colleagues, or faculty in other department or institutions. Nomination letters should indicate how the candidate meets the criteria for the award. The nominator should submit the letter with a current curriculum vitae of the nominee via e-mail to the Executive Director of the SCS (blistein@sas.upenn.edu) by June 1, 2015. The letter is the key to the candidate's continuation in the selection process.

The Committee reviews nominations and invites the submission of full dossiers for selected nominees. These dossiers should include the following:

  1. An updated c.v.
  2. A minimum of three, and preferably six, letters of support, which should include one each from a student, colleague, and administrative superior; one of these letters may be an expanded version of the nominator's initial letter.
  3. Brief descriptions of all courses taught during the past five years, including some representative syllabi and assignments; these should be included both for new courses designed by the nominee and his or her "traditional" courses.
  4. Summaries of student evaluations from all courses taught during the past five years and full evaluations for three selected courses. The three full evaluations should be introduced by a brief explanation of how those courses represent the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses as a teacher. Candidates will improve their chances if the full evaluations are provided from three different types of courses, e.g., a large lecture course, an introductory language course, and a small discussion course at an advanced level.

The letter of invitation to submit a full dossier will be sent to the nominator via e-mail, with a copy to the candidate, not later than June 30, 2015. Completed dossiers must then be submitted to the Executive Director at xd@classicalstudies.org by [Check back soon for date]. (Nominators who experience difficulty submitting materials via e-mail should consult the Executive Director.) Only dossiers complete at this time will be considered. Nominators must submit four copies of any material that is not submitted electronically. The SCS will retain for consideration for two additional years the full dossiers of candidates who do not receive an award in the year of nomination. In the two succeeding years, these applicants will need only to submit updated information for consideration by subsequent Committees.