Golich Awards

The Excellence in Online Teaching Award celebrates faculty who excel in online education through innovative teaching.

Applicants should highlight their contributions to student learning, creative use of instructional technology, and advancements in online education. This award recognizes exceptional course design, unique teaching practices, and impactful efforts in student educational attainment.

A successful application will clearly describe contributions to student learning through innovative online teaching and course design practices as well as service and scholarly contributions to the field.

Examples of such innovative teaching and course design include, but are not limited to:

1. Unique and effective online instructional practices
2. Extraordinary overall course design
3. Well-developed individual course materials
4. Remarkable contributions virtual teaching and learning
5. Innovative use of instructional technology
6. Research or service toward the advancement of online education.

All applicants and supplemental documentation will be reviewed by the Office of Online Learning leadership members and will focus on teaching philosophy and positive student impacts.

All applicants will be notified when a winner is chosen. Awardee will be recognized at the Roadrunners Who Soar Awards event on April 3, 2025.

Candidates can nominate themselves or be nominated by a colleague, chair, dea or student. Applicants must not be nominated anonymously.

Submission Materials 

Complete this online form and upload one Word or PDF file including all required submission materials. Award applications should be no longer than 4 pages and must be submitted through this online form.

Required materials to provide include:

• A teaching and learning philosophy statement. This statement should include, but is not limited to, a discussion of the challenges, strategies, and goals of online course design and instruction, what makes the applicant’s course(s) and teaching practice uniquely exceptional, and the impact of the applicants teaching on student success.
• A summary of online courses taught including the course prefix & number, title, semester taught, instructional method, census enrollment.
• Provide a comprehensive demonstration of the influence of your teaching, including a formal impact statement and a detailed account of its outcomes on student learning and development.

Optional materials to provide include:

• Up to three pieces of digitally-available evidence of exceptional online teaching practices, course design practices, or efforts within online education, including but not limited to: selected components of course syllabi, handouts, assignment descriptions, student work, direct samples from online discussions, video clips, assignment rubrics, instructional tools/technologies built by the applicant, accessibility efforts, innovative methods of assessing student learning and achievement, peer evaluations, student mentoring and advising, peer mentoring, and/or service and scholarship relevant to promoting and improving online education.
• One or two letters of support from someone with direct experience of the applicant’s online course(s) and teaching practice (current or past students, or a colleague knowledgeable about the applicant’s work).

Nominate yourself or a colleague here.

Deadline: Dec. 13, 2024

Assistance
For more information about the Excellence in Online Teaching Award, contact Allie Dirks at [email protected].

The nomination window for the 2024-2025  Outstanding Professional Advisor award is now closed.

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The Outstanding Professional Advisor  award recognizes a  full-time, undergraduate academic advisors who:

1. Delivers advising techniques and approaches that embodies the mission and vision of MSU Denver.

1. • Include at least one example of how this is put into practice.
2. Are engaged in student retention.
   • This includes retention initiatives that the nominee has/is engaged in and their use of technology, and that the nominee is tracking or has tracked results.
   • Include at least one example of how this is/was put into practice.
3. Actively participate in optional academic-advisor trainings and/or advising professional-development opportunities.
   • Please outline how the nominee has applied this information in advising sessions and/or outreach initiatives.
   • Include at least one example of how this is put into practice.
4. Demonstrate appropriate student-referral activity.
   • This includes referring students to faculty and other student-support services on campus.
   • Include at least one example of how this is put into practice.

Deadline submission: Nov. 1, 2024.

Any advisor nominated by someone will be required to submit their own nomination to be considered for the award.  A selection committee will review all submissions and decide on an award winner.  All nominees will be notified via email of the decision in December 2024. The award winner will be recognized at the Roadrunners Who Soar Awards event on April 3, 2025.

Nominate a colleague for the Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award by Friday, December 6.

The Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award recognizes one faculty member who demonstrates strong knowledge of institutional academic policies and procedures, uses advising technique(s) and approach(es) that embody the mission and vision of MSU Denver, participates in advising initiatives outside of advising appointments, and delivers success in student retention.

Eligibility: Any individual whose primary responsibility is teaching and who spends a portion of their time providing academic advising to students.

Nominations must:

1. Describe the nominee’s strong and demonstrated knowledge of institutional academic policies and procedures when advising students.

2. Describe how the nominee’s advising technique(s) and approach(es) embodies the mission and vision of MSU Denver.

3. Include examples of outreach or participation in academic-advising initiatives outside of an advising appointment. Examples include but are not limited to appointment campaigns, email outreach, phone-call outreach, workshops or department advising events, registration events, etc. Please note any use of advising technology in these efforts.

4. Describe the nominee’s practices and evidence of success in student retention with advisees or students in class. Please include the use of technology (e.g., SSC Navigate, Degree Works, or other systems) to document and/or track successes.

Nominate a colleague here.

Nominations, not to exceed 2 pages in length, should specifically address the ways in which the nominee has achieved excellence in one or more of the four areas identified above.

Deadline: Nominations should be submitted by Friday, December 6.

Nominee information is reviewed by the Outstanding Faculty Advisor Selection Committee, which selects one faculty member to be honored.

The recipient will be celebrated at the Roadrunners Who Soar Awards event on April 3, 2025.

Nominate a Colleague today!

Nominations will be accepted until Dec. 13, 2024.

Each year, MSU Denver recognizes an Outstanding Mentor for Undergraduate Research. The award is part of the Annual Roadrunner’s Who Soar Golich Awards and is open to MSU Denver faculty members or staff who have positively influenced undergraduate research through their own research and scholarly or creative projects with undergraduates, whether inside or outside the classroom.

Submit a nomination for an Outstanding Mentor for Undergraduate Research.

In your nomination describe how your nominee demonstrates outstanding mentorship in undergraduate activities.

Contact Kristy Duran for any questions.

Open Educational Resources Champion

Eligibility: All MSU Denver faculty and staff with teaching responsibilities are eligible for this award.

Supporting OER use and awareness increases student access to education, one of the MSU Denver CADRE values, and is well aligned with the mission of MSU Denver to provide a high-quality, accessible, enriching education.

Criteria: This award recognizes staff who have:

• Adopted, adapted or created OER content that meaningfully impacts MSU Denver students AND/OR
• Created fully accessible OERs that include appropriate Creative Commons licensing

In addition to the above criteria, an OER Task Force review committee selects one robust and evidence-based case demonstrating the quality of the OER used in the course, estimated student cost savings, enhancements to the student educational experience, and evidence of innovative instructor use of OER through adoption, adaption, or creation.

Awardee: The OER Task force reviews OER grant awardees from the past few years to select the OER Champion Soar Award winner.

The Open Educational Resources Champion will be recognized at the Roadrunners Who Soar Awards event on April 3, 2025.

Nominations are now open!

The Council of Chairs & Directors and the Office of Academic Affairs would like to announce that nominations are now open for the Department Chairs Excellence Award.

Each year, the Chair Excellence Award recognizes one chair who has demonstrated excellent leadership, curricular innovation, promotion of student success, and overall contribution towards achievement of the college/school and/or University mission in their role leading their academic department.

Submit a Chair Excellence Award Nomination.

Nominations are due by Dec. 6, 2024. 

Purpose and Guidelines
The intent of this award is to recognize one chair each year who has done demonstrably excellent work in his or her role as chair.

The nominee must currently be a department chair and must have completed one year or more as chair to be eligible.

The successful nominee is one who demonstrates success in at least one of the following areas:

1. Demonstration of outstanding leadership
2. Demonstration of curricular innovation
3. Promotion of student success
4. Overall contribution toward achievement of the College and/or University Mission

Nominations
Nominations can come from anyone. A chair may self-nominate, or a nomination can come from any student, faculty, staff member or other member of the university community. The nomination would need to address how the nominee demonstrates the areas outlined above.

Award Screening Committee

The award screening committee – Chair Excellence Selection Committee – reviews candidates and determines a winner.

The committee is be chaired by the Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs. The committee’s membership consists of a representative from the deans, along with one chair representing each college/school in the university, and at least one faculty member from any college.

The selected awardee will be recognized at the Roadrunners Who Soar Awards event on April 3, 2025.

Procedures

Nominations should be submitted electronically using the Chair Excellence Award nomination form by Friday, December 6.

Nominations, not to exceed 2 pages in length, should specifically address how the nominee has achieved excellence in one or more of the four areas identified above.

Nominate excellent staff members for a Staff Excellence Award.

Nominations are due by Dec. 13, 2024.  

The Staff Senate is accepting nominations to highlight amazing MSU Denver staff members. The Staff Excellence Award recognizes outstanding work and is open to any staff member—administrative, classified and student—who has worked at MSU Denver for at least one semester. 

Nominators should provide specific examples of how the nominee demonstrates commitment to the MSU Denver community and our mission. The mission of MSU Denver is to provide a high-quality, accessible, enriching education that prepares students for successful careers, post-graduate education and lifelong learning in a multicultural, global, and technological society. Please give examples of their excellence in action!  

One winner will be selected in each of the following categories: 

• Administrator 
• Classified 
• Student employee 

Nominations are due by Dec. 13.

Submit your nomination(s) today. Contact Corinne Anaya for more information.

This award is presented to a supervisor who is an engaging and supportive role model for their student employees. They manage their team of students well and hold them accountable, while maintaining a work environment that is inclusive and collaborative.

Nominate a Student Employee Supervisor to be recognized

Deadline: Dec. 18, 2024

Eligibility: The nominee has been a supervisor for at least one Semester. The nominee is one who demonstrates success in the following areas:

1. Role Model: A supervisor who demonstrates confidence and leadership. Encouraging students to be unique. Their positivity and accountability for themselves and others makes them excellent supervisors.

Prompt 1: How has this supervisor been a role model to you?

2. Authentic and inclusive: A supervisor who allows student employees to feel safe, secure, and comfortable showing up as their whole selves in the workplace. They make all student employees feel equally involved and supported in the workplace.

Prompt 2: Give an example of a time when your supervisor created an authentic and inclusive for their student employees.

3. Supportive and collaborative: A supervisor who is understanding and supportive of the student’s goals. Will always help students expand their knowledge and coach them to be the best they can be.

Prompt 3: How has this nominee created a supportive and collaborative environment?

4. Engaging and Transparent: A supervisor who is enthusiastic about the work they do and is committed to their students, employees, and their workplace. They are active listeners with their student employees and create many opportunities for learning. They value the input of their colleagues and student employees and leading with openness & honesty so that the students know exactly what is expected of them.

Prompt 4: How does this supervisor engage with their student employees?

Nomination instructions:

1. Please complete the Student Employee Supervisor nomination form by close of business on Dec. 18.

The Student Employee of the Year Award is presented to a student who is friendly, reliable and dependable. This student demonstrates commitment and growth in their position and goes beyond stated job duties by taking initiative and advancing the goals of the department.

Nominate a Student Employee to be recognized.

Deadline: Dec. 18, 2024

Eligibility: The nominee must have worked at least one semester as a student employee. The nominee is one who demonstrates success in the following areas:

1. Reliability: Student that shows up when they are supposed to and takes responsibility for their assignments and meets deadlines. They show integrity by completing tasks and showing up even when a leader is not looking over their shoulder or offering praise.

Prompt 1: How does this student model reliability?

2. Leadership: A student employee who can get the ball rolling. They are always willing to offer a helping hand to fellow students who need it and always brainstorming innovative ideas for the team. They communicate well and have the flexibility to solve problems in the ever-changing workplace.

Prompt 2: Give an example of their strong leadership skills.

3. Critical Thinking: The student employee is capable of sorting through the details to gain a perspective that leads to an impactful decision, discovery, or a solution to a problem. This allows them and their supervisor to fix inconsistencies and utilize resources wisely.

Prompt 3: How does the student nominee show critical thinking in their workplace?

4. Work Ethic: A student employee who comes to work with a positive attitude and a desire to improve their skills and knowledge whenever they get the chance. They show a great deal of commitment and dedication to their job title.

Prompt 4: How does this student nominee show work ethic on a day-to-day basis?

5. Collaboration: A student employee who demonstrates open mindedness and communication. A team member who values the opinions of their colleagues and works together with them to achieve a common goal.

Prompt 5: Please explain a time when you saw this student collaborate with their team.

Nomination instructions:

1. Please complete the Student Employee nomination form by close of business on Dec. 18.

The 2024-2025 Faculty Awards of Excellence application is closed. The winners will be announced in January 2025.

The Faculty Awards of Excellence recognize faculty members who demonstrate excellence in teaching by showing enthusiasm for their subject matter and imparting that enthusiasm to students, demonstrating innovative and inclusive teaching practices, and cultivating accessibility and open rapport with students.

There are four (4) categories:

1. Excellence in Teaching – Tenured Faculty
2. Excellence in Teaching – Tenure Track Faculty
3. Excellence in Teaching – Full Time Non-Tenure Track (Category II)
4. Excellence in Teaching – Affiliate (part-time)

There are also two specialty awards:

Excellence in Scholarly or Creative Activities Award

This award honors one (1) faculty member who has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to their scholarship and/or creative endeavors; provided significant contributions to their discipline, profession, or community; innovated in their field; advanced the mission of MSU Denver; and involved students in scholarly or creative work.

Faculty Excellence in Service Award

This award recognizes one (1) faculty member who has shown an unwavering commitment to service within their department, college/school, university, profession, or community. This dedication can be demonstrated through substantial contributions to governance, curriculum development, committee leadership, mentorship programs, community engagement initiatives, or other service activities outlined in the Faculty Employment Handbook.

To learn more about these awards and see last year’s honorees, visit the Faculty Awards of Excellence website.