Distinguished Teaching Award
Whitney DeCamp
Timothy Palmer
Dee Sherwood
Each year Western Michigan University recognizes outstanding teaching by awarding one or more Distinguished Teaching Awards. Outstanding teaching is not fixed in form or venue and is not easily assessed. Whether instruction takes place in lecture courses, seminars, or laboratories or whether it is pitched at introductory or advanced levels, exceptional pedagogy is marked by the active, critical role of the instructor and mentor whose demanding presence fosters critical thinking and inspires students to engage the quest for knowledge as a value in itself and as a craft.
Initiated in 2006, the Distinguished Teaching Award is the highest honor given by the University to recognize faculty members for their teaching work. A similar honors program, the WMU Alumni Association Teaching Excellence program, ran at the University between 1966 and 2001 and honored 131 faculty members during that time.
Contact Tonya Dean or email: faculty-development@wmich.edu with questions, comments, or concerns regarding the Distinguished Teaching Award.
Nomination Procedure
The selection committee invites members of the University community to write a letter of nomination for a faculty member who should be considered for this award.
Award winners will be selected based on the detailed information provided in nomination letters. For that reason, letters should make a strong argument and include specific details. Please tell describe your relationship to the instructor, describe first-hand knowledge of the instructor's work with students inside and outside the classroom, and explain why you see this work as distinguished. All letters are confidential and are filed for consideration in subsequent years.
Nominations are due Tuesday, April 1, 2025 for the 2025-26 Distinguished Teaching Award. Nominations must be submitted electronically through the webform (right).
Nomination Letter
In the nomination letter, describe in your own words, why you feel this particular faculty member should receive the award. Be as specific as possible about the criteria you are using to measure distinguished teaching. The selection committee would like to know exactly why you see this teacher as deserving of this high honor.