Campus Technology Leadership Grant

Award Description

The Campus Technology Leadership Grant, established in 2019 by Vinson Houston, Vice President of Information Technology, and awarded by Jacksonville State University’s Division of Information Technology, honors an outstanding faculty member who demonstrates exemplary leadership in the innovative use of technology for teaching and learning. 

For the current award cycle, the grant is focused specifically on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in teaching and the higher education classroom. In addition to effectively integrating AI-supported technologies in their own courses, the award recipient serves as a liaison between Information Technology and faculty across disciplines, supporting, modeling, and promoting thoughtful, ethical, and effective AI-enhanced teaching practices campus-wide. 

Applicants must have successfully completed the Teaching with AI Canvas course, developed by Auburn University’s Biggio Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning and facilitated at Jacksonville State University through Faculty Commons, prior to applying for this award. 

The faculty member selected for this honor will receive a budget that fully covers allowable travel expenses to attend a national, AI-focused technology conference, selected collaboratively by the recipient and the Vice President of Information Technology. The recipient will also receive a framed certificate recognizing this achievement. Upon returning from the conference, the awardee will present a Faculty Commons session focused on AI in teaching, sharing insights, strategies, and applications relevant to instructional innovation in higher education. 

Criteria and Eligibility

• Full-time faculty member with rank of Instructor or higher
• Have successfully completed the Teaching with AI Canvas course offered through Faculty Commons
• Demonstrate leadership in integrating AI and other instructional technologies into teaching and learning
• Serves as a mentor to colleagues from all disciplines with technology integration efforts
• Serves as a leader in their program, department, school, and the entire campus community in utilizing technology for teaching and learning
• Demonstrates the application of innovative technology in community service and/or professional research
• 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 Vice President of Information Technology will review nomination applications for this award to select a winner. Nominations by self, students, colleagues, or department heads are encouraged. Accomplishments from the previous three academic years (AY) will be considered (including AY 22-23, AY 23-24, and AY 24-25, beginning with Fall 2022 and ending with Summer 2025).

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 evidence 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. 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)—*Contact the nominee’s departmental Administrative Assistant to acquire a CV.
4. Supporting documentation may include copies of recent peer-reviewed journal publications, books, exhibits, recordings, journal proceedings, performances, conference papers/presentations, patents, or software. — *Only supporting documentation from the specified years outlined in the Nomination Procedures will be considered

Teaching with AI Canvas Training Registration

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 20, 2026. No deadline extensions will be given.

Nominate Someone for the Campus Technology Leadership Grant