Seraphia D. Leyda University
Teaching Fellowships

2008/2009 and 2009/2010 Awardee Announcements

Following the recommendations of the Faculty Honors and Awards Committee, the Office of Academic Affairs is pleased to announce the 2008/2009 and the 2009/2010 awardees. These individuals have demonstrated a long commitment of excellence in teaching at UNO and have been an important part of the education of our students.

2008/2009

• Elaine S. Brooks, Professor, Spanish
• Juliette W. Ioup, Professor, Physics

2009/2010

• John R. O. Gery, Research Professor, English
• Michael G. Huelshoff, Associate Professor, Political Science
• Tumulesh K. S. Solanky, Professor, Mathematics

2010/2011 Call for Nominations

The Office of Academic Affairs will announce the call for nominations for the 2010/2011 Seraphia D. Leyda University Teaching Fellowships in the Fall of 2009. Exact date will be set by that time. Seraphia Leyda was a Louisiana native, a former Professor and Chair of English, and one of the generation of faculty members hired soon after the creation of the University of New Orleans.  She was a distinguished teacher, scholar, and administrator. In the 1980s she served as Assistant to the Chancellor of the University. Today the awarding of the Fellowship recognizes a faculty member’s long term success in teaching.

Up to three Seraphia D. Leyda University Teaching Fellowship awards of $3,000/ year for three years will be available to eligible faculty and will commence on July 1, 2010. Professors who receive the award will permanently earn the honorary title of Seraphia D. Leyda University Teaching Fellow. This title recognizes outstanding faculty members for their accomplishments as teachers and reflects the University's continuing commitment to excellence in teaching. Full-time members of the faculty who have at least ten years of full-time service at UNO and who have not received the award in the previous ten years are eligible for this award.
The $3,000/ year award will be available for a period of three years in support of the recipient's teaching and scholarly activities, such as travel, supplies, equipment, student help, etc. The money may not be used as salary for the faculty member who receives this award, nor can the department or college automatically reduce the recipient's teaching responsibilities.

Nominations may be submitted by any member of the faculty and must be forwarded through the Department Chair and College Dean to the Office of Academic Affairs by an announced deadline. The Chairs and Deans are expected to include their evaluations (maximum 2-pages) and should rank-order nominations if more than one faculty member from a single department or college is nominated. Colleges and Departments may set early deadlines to complete their review process. The nomination packets will then be given to the Faculty Senate Committee on University Honors and Awards for a recommendation on the university wide finalists. Academic Affairs will then make a final determination based on the recommendations.

Nomination packets must include:

1. A letter of nomination containing a detailed summary of the candidate’s teaching accomplishments that merit special recognition.
2. A complete professional vita in the standard graduate faculty format.
3. A summary of teaching and other scholarly awards and honors received.
4. Student evaluations for at least the last four most recent semesters. Complete student evaluations should include a cover sheet summary comparing candidates evaluation to Department and College averages.
5. Supporting documentation related to the quality of instruction, such as innovative curriculum development material, comments or letter from students and alumni, and letter from colleagues who specifically address the criteria for this particular award.

The Seraphia D. Leyda University Teaching Fellowship review committee will place a major focus on classroom teaching, using the following criteria:

1. Documentation of teaching excellence is required, including actual teaching evaluation for at least the last four most recent semesters.
2. Evidence of innovative teaching, including course design, revision of course syllabi, new technology applications, portfolio or other innovative student assessment methods.
3. Service to students, including advising, thesis supervision and diversity of students served.
4. Relevance of teaching to the university’s urban mission, including breadth of impact.
5. Contribution(s) above and beyond normal expectations.

Contact Dr. Merrill Johnson, Associate Provost in Academic Affairs for more information (280-6567).

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