William A. Meehan Legacy Award

Award Description

The William A. Meehan Legacy Award, established in 2015 and administered by the Council of Deans, is an award designed to honor a faculty member who has significantly advanced the mission of Jacksonville State University (JSU) through an outstanding, career-long contribution in one or more of the following areas: teaching, professional effectiveness, research, or service.

This award is sponsored by the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. This legacy award is named after JSU’s 11th president, Dr. William A. Meehan. William Arthur Meehan first attended Jacksonville State University in 1968 as a student. After completing his Bachelor of Science in Biology in 1972 at JSU, Dr. Meehan returned for his master’s and worked as a graduate assistant in the admissions office. Upon graduating with his Master of Science in Biology in 1976, he was approached by Dr. Theron Montgomery and asked to stay as a full-time biology instructor. The road between the classroom and the presidency consisted of a few stops along the way. Dr. Meehan served in several other roles including coordinator of medical technology, director of academic advisement, assistant to the vice president for academic affairs, acting vice president for academic affairs, associate vice president for academic and student affairs, and acting vice president for institutional advancement.

In 1999, Dr. Meehan earned his doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Alabama, and on July 1, 1999, Dr. William A. Meehan became the 11th president of JSU. Dr. Meehan and his wife, Elizabeth, along with their children, Drew, Will and Carol Grace, lived in the President’s Home for the duration of his nearly 16 years long Presidency. 

In total, President Meehan dedicated 47 years of his life to JSU – 40 as an employee. Dr. And Mrs. Meehan and their family left a lasting legacy upon JSU and the numerous students who had the privilege of attending the university under the Meehan administration.

The individual selected for this honor will receive an honorarium of $1,000 and a framed certificate that recognizes this accomplishment.

Criteria and Eligibility

• Full-time faculty holding the rank of Instructor or higher with 25 years or more of service at JSU
• Evidence of profound, positive, and sustained influence on the direction and progress of JSU as demonstrated through an extraordinary commitment to teaching, professional effectiveness, research, and/or service
• An awardee is ineligible to receive the same award again for three years but remains eligible for other awards during that time.

Nomination Procedures

The William A. Meehan Legacy Award is a prestigious honor selected by the Jacksonville State University Council of Deans.  Nominations by self, students, colleagues, or department heads are encouraged. Letters of recommendation should describe the nominee’s accomplishments in advancing the mission of JSU during the duration of the nominee's career. Nominators should inform nominees that they are being nominated and may solicit their assistance in preparing nomination materials. 

Required Nomination Documents

The nomination packet for this award will consist of the following, compiled into one single PDF file in the order indicated. Please contact Faculty Commons if you need assistance compiling documentation into a PDF file.  Letters of support from faculty, students, and colleagues are encouraged, along with supporting documentation being considered.

1. One official Letter of Nomination by the nominator(s) advocating the basis for the nomination (relating nominee’s teaching activity to the criteria for the award)
2. Three to five additional Letters of Support from internal or external colleagues and/or students to complement the Letter of Nomination
3. Supporting documentation may include student reflections, teaching evaluations from students and faculty, papers or presentations that show student engagement, articles on teaching success and effectiveness, or any other materials that appropriately support the nominee.
4. Nominee’s curriculum vitae (up to 15 pages)— *For those nominating a colleague, contact the nominee for a copy of their CV, or contact the nominee’s departmental administrative assistant for help acquiring a CV

Nomination Deadline

All nominations must be submitted electronically via the Faculty Awards nomination form, linked below, no later than 4:30 PM CST on Friday, February 21, 2025.