Mildred Dahne Award | Faculty Senate

The Mildred Dahne Award Committee calls for applications for the Mildred Dahne Award. This annual award includes a cash prize up to $5,000. The funds may be used to augment departmental funds or as stipends and professional development funds that may be used to cover the costs of attending conferences, the purchase of equipment and resource materials, etc. Up to three awards will be given each year, across the two application types below.

Eligibility

Any academic department or program, including the library, may apply for the award. However, no department or program may receive the award more than once in a five-year period. There are two types of applications that Mildred Dahne applicants can submit:

Record of Excellence: Applications should demonstrate excellence and outstanding achievement in three of the six categories below. All applications must address the first category, “Excellence in teaching and/or support of teaching.” Departments or programs may then select two additional categories for consideration. As this is an award rather than a grant application, it is unnecessary to address how the award money would be utilized.
Developing Excellence: Applicants should submit a detailed proposal for how award funds would be used to achieve excellence in at least one of the six categories below. All applications must include an itemized budget with projected costs, up to $5,000. Developing Excellence awards may support community events (Department Impact category), student initiatives (Student Involvement category), etc.

All applications should clearly indicate the type of application they are submitting and which category or categories they address.

Applications should be no more than 4-5 pages in length (single-spaced). Developing Excellence applications may include up to one additional page for the itemized budget. Applications from previous award winners should emphasize work done since the previous award. Each category will be evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5 and the department/program with the highest average score(s) will receive the award(s).

1. Excellence in teaching and/or support of teaching

As TCNJ values high-quality teaching, departments/programs need to demonstrate the effectiveness of their collective teaching skills, and/or their support of instruction. Teaching in this context is understood to include activities such as information literacy instruction, and information-related support of teaching. For Record of Excellence applications, this can be done with statistical evidence from student evaluations, examples of student testimonies, evidence of student success and other methods the department/program chooses to illustrate its effectiveness. For Developing Excellence applications, this can be done by proposing initiatives that would enhance excellence in teaching.

2. Academic excellence

For Record of Excellence applications, departments must demonstrate the academic excellence of the department’s/program’s members. Juried and peer reviewed scholarship/creative endeavors are the methods by which this excellence will be conveyed. For Developing Excellence applications, departments must explain how the award would enhance collaborative, department-wide initiatives to advance scholarly and/or creative endeavors.

3. Department impact

For Record of Excellence applications, departments should discuss the impact of the department/program on the TCNJ community, the larger academic community and/or the surrounding communities. Topics included in this discussion may include, but are not limited to, the department’s/program’s outreach to the various communities and its commitment to diversity. The Award committee recognizes that departments/programs differ in the ways in which they impact the communities. As such, these parameters should be broadly defined. National (or international) recognition beyond the local and regional level is highly desirable. For Developing Excellence applications, departments should present a plan for impact of the department/program on the TCNJ community, the larger academic community, and/or the surrounding community.

4. Innovation and creativity

For Record of Excellence applications, the department/program should be a model of innovation and creativity in advancing its discipline and the TCNJ community. For Developing Excellence applications, departments/programs should propose a plan that advances innovation and creativity.

5. Student involvement

For Record of Excellence applications, departments/programs should provide evidence of student involvement in the departments/programs. Applications should demonstrate the degree to which students are involved in the daily activities of the department/program as well the department’s/program’s successful advising and mentoring of students. For Developing Excellence applications, departments/programs should provide a plan for how award funds would enhance student involvement efforts.

6. Service to profession

Record of Excellence applications should demonstrate the department’s/program’s contributions to its discipline and profession. This can take many forms, from serving as officers of professional organizations to serving as peer reviewers for scholarship and/or creative works. Developing Excellence applications should propose a plan for how the award funds would enhance the department in service efforts/initiatives.

Winners