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Nominations for the 2025 Award are closed. 

Nomination Information 

  1. Nominations should address the stated criteria for the award. (You will be asked a series of prompts on the nomination form based upon the criteria). 
  2. Nominations will be accepted from current UW students and employees (staff or faculty). Self-nominations are not accepted.
  3. Nominators may nominate only one faculty member each year.
  4. The committee will review all eligible nominations prior to any announcements.

Please be sure to write your responses in a way that describes the faculty member being nominated as well as the nature of his/her/their accomplishments and indicators of excellence and achievement. 

After the nomination deadline, submissions will be reviewed for eligibility. Eligibility will be based upon whether the nomination sufficiently addresses the criteria for the award and if the nominee meets the eligibility requirements.

The committee will submit a written recommendation to the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and notification regarding the recipient will be sent via email to the campus.

Eligibility and Criteria

Eligibility

  • UWT tenure or teaching track faculty.
  • Minimum two years of teaching experience at UWT.
  • Previous recipients are not eligible for the award. The UW Tacoma Distinguished Teaching Award may be received only once per lifetime.
  • Recipients must be employed at UW Tacoma during Spring of the award year.

Criteria

The award review committee will select recipients based on the degree to which they exemplify and provide evidence of:

  • An iterative, reflective teaching practice with evidence of pedagogical experimentation and refinement over time.
  • Commitment to inclusive teaching and mentoring and valuing students’ experiences.
  • Dedication to creating transformative learning experiences that foster deep reflection and critical inquiry.
  • Service as a mentor, collaborator, and consultant on teaching-related matters to other faculty and/or teaching assistants.

Information for Nominees

Application Information 

Nominees will be notified of their nomination and invited to apply for award consideration. If a nominee elects to apply, they will be asked to provide the following information:

  • List of courses taught
  • List of teaching- and mentoring-related activities, including relevant scholarship related to teaching and learning.
  • Teaching statement (max 1 page)
  • 3 Letters of support (max 2 pages each), one each from a:
    • UWT/UW Student (current, or former student who graduated in the past 2 years)
    • UWT/UW Colleague
    • UWT Supervisor: dean/chair
  • Evidence of teaching effectiveness from the prior 2 years (7 pages max). Evidence may include, but is not limited to, syllabi and assignments. Applicants are encouraged to annotate their materials with explanations of how they meet the award criteria.

All application documents must be within the page limit and in a minimum of 11-point font. 

Expectations

  • The award recipient will attend and be recognized at the UW Tacoma awards ceremony, the UW Seattle awards ceremony and the UW Tacoma Commencement ceremony
  • The awardee will chair the Distinguished Teaching Award committee the year after receiving the award