Dean’s Award for Service Excellence

AY 15-16 Nomination Guidance

Purpose: This award recognizes outstanding contributions to service by any West Point faculty member with five years or less of teaching experience. Recipients receive recognition at the May Academic Luncheon and the Fall Academic Convocation.

Eligibility: All USMA faculty who have five years or less of teaching experience at the collegelevel, whether at West Point or at another institution of higher learning.

Service: DPOM 5-3 (Dean’s Policy and Operating Memorandum Procedures for Awarding Academic Titles) and the USMA Faculty Manual provide a definition for service as it applies to USMA faculty: “Service is participation in the governance of the academic departments and the Academy, professional outreach activities, and activities of the professional societies and organizations of the discipline.” “[A]ll faculty members are expected to contribute to cadet development and service. Service can be broadly interpreted to include community, Army, and the nation.”

Selection criteria:The Selection Committee (composed of Dean’s Faculty Award Committee members) assesses the applicant’s service based on the following criteria:

1)The faculty member’s contribution in professional outreach activities, and professional societies and organizations related to the academic expertise of the faculty member.

2)The faculty member’s contribution to the development of cadets(i.e. officer representative, club OIC, PME mentor, etc.) andacademic extracurricular activities.

3)The faculty member’s contribution to the community, Army, and the nation.

4)The faculty member’scontribution to the governance of the academic departments and the Academy.

Selection Procedure:

The Deanof the Academic Board selectsthe award recipient, based on a nomination from the Awards Committee. The Awards Committee makes recommendations to the Dean based on submissions received by the Committee in accordance with the announced submission criteria.

Submission deadlinefor this academic year’s award is 22 March 2016. The Dean will announce the award recipient at the annual Academic Luncheon in May, and the award will be conferred at the Fall Academic Convocation.

Submission Format:

Please submit nominations electronically to COL Liam Collins, Service Award Subcommittee Chair, by 22 March 2016 via electronic submission. The nomination consists of:

  • Department Head Nominating Letter. No more than two single-spaced pages(using standard 1” margins and 10 point Times New Roman font) discussing the candidate’s service in terms of the selection criteria, while assigned as a faculty member at West Point. It should also include:
  • Name of nominee
  • Department
  • Academic rank
  • Number of years teaching at collegiate level (not including TA time)
  • Candidate Service References. In order to effectively assess the candidate’s service impact, candidates can provide up to three references, beyond the Department Head, which the Awards Committee may contact in the event that the candidate is a finalist for the award. When providing references, include the person’s name, contact information, and the context/domain in which the person can serve as a reference—the description should be limited to no more than a sentence. Letters of recommendation, beyond the nominating letter, will not be accepted.