Outstanding Teacher Award

Award Description

The Betty and Earlon McWhorter Outstanding Teacher Award, established in 1993, is a faculty-administered award designed to honor an outstanding faculty member in their efforts in teaching at Jacksonville State University.

This award was made possible because of the generous donations of Mr. Earlon and Mrs. Betty McWhorter, both of whom have been avid supporters of the university for many years.  Earlon McWhorter grew up near Jacksonville, Alabama and attended JSU as an undergraduate, majoring in pre-engineering.  He and wife Betty have gone on record to say that during their time at JSU, they “had many outstanding teachers” and they wanted to “do something to honor them.” In addition to gifting the university with housing support, they have also chosen to financially contribute to the success of the university through scholarship opportunities and through the establishment of the Betty and Earlon McWhorter Outstanding Teacher Award.

This award recognizes faculty members who create opportunities for students to grow intellectually while providing them an atmosphere where they can thrive and succeed. The person selected for this honor will receive an honorarium of $1,500, a budget of $500 for expenses, and a framed certificate that recognizes this accomplishment.

Criteria and Eligibility

*Although there are no absolute criteria as to what constitutes excellence in teaching, the following is a suggested list of criteria expected to be exhibited by a McWhorter awardee.

• Full-time faculty holding the rank of Instructor or higher
• Evidence of teaching excellence beyond the classroom through curricular development, academic planning, and innovative pedagogical methods
• Evidence of scholarship related to teaching and learning through presentations and publications
• Evidence of effective assessment measures to document student learning
• Evidence of high teachings standards, professional relationships with colleagues, and cultivated relationships with students that demonstrate a significant impact on their lives
• 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 McWhorter Outstanding Teacher Award recipient will be chosen from the Board of Trustees Teachers of Excellence Award winners, a faculty-administered award given within each college (two for CAHS, one for others) and the library. The Faculty Honors and Grants Committee, with representatives from each academic college and the library, will review nominations and select the winner.

Only teaching accomplishments from the previous three academic years (AY) will be considered (including AY 21-22, AY 22-23, and AY 23-24, beginning with Fall 2021 and ending with Summer 2024). 

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 documentation of the service being considered. All materials will be reviewed by the Faculty Honors and Grants Committee.

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. Up to three additional Letters of Support from internal or external colleagues and students to complement the Letter of Nomination—*No more than three additional Letters of Support will be considered
3. Nominee’s curriculum vitae (no more than fifteen 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
4. 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, etc. — *Only supporting documentation from the specified years outlined in the Nomination Procedures will be considered

Nomination Deadline

Registration for this award is not currently available. Faculty may contact their deans for information on the newly established Board of Trustees Teachers of Excellence Award.