Awards

The Faculty Senate’s FDC is pleased to announce the availability of funding in support of faculty development activities by faculty members. Funded by Georgia Southern University, the programs are designed to provide time and resources for enhancing the teaching-learning process, with emphasis on classroom instruction or direct student impact.

Requests may include:

• Conference costs, including registration and travel
• Instructional or conference supplies, materials, technology, or equipment
• Professional development opportunities
• Funding toward student worker(s) or Graduate Assistant(s) lines.

Funding Guidelines

• Funding Limit: $2500
• Proposals may be fully or partially funded.
• Applicants are responsible for itemizing and justifying each expense on the budget.
• Funding will only cover expenses as approved in the proposal and cannot be diverted.
• Requests for travel funds will only be allowed per USG travel policy. 
• Requests for salary stipends will not be funded.
• Requests for individual professional memberships will not be funded unless they are required by the job position and related to job function. (See the Allowable Cost Matrix)

Award Timeline

• Award applications are reviewed and typically awarded twice per academic year.
• Applications for items with a Spring date can be submitted during both the Fall and Spring proposal times.
• For applicants are submitting for a reimbursement, the reimbursement must submitted through the system within 45 days after the item is purchased or event occurs, or by June 1, whichever is sooner.
• Because of the budget cycle, only expenses that can be prepaid by June 1 will be considered for activities.
• All applicants will be notified of their award status within one week of the review date.

Round 1 – Submissions Open Below

• Proposal Deadline: Monday, September 1
• Reviews and notifications: By Late September

Round 2 – Closed

Deadline: December 1

• Proposal Deadline: December 1
• Reviews and notifications: By Late January

Application Guidelines

Eligibility

• Full-time faculty members are eligible.
• Members of the FDC are not eligible for awards.
• Applicants may request funding for only one destination, or one event, or one project per submission. 
• Applicants may request funding only for themselves.
• Faculty with accepted proposals will submit a final report of activity.
• Limits:
  • Limit one proposal per faculty member.
  • Limit one awarded proposal per faculty member per academic year.
    • Example: If an applicant is awarded in Round 1, they may not submit a proposal for Round 2.
    • If a proposal is not funded, applicants may submit the proposal for future rounds.

Technology

If you are applying to purchase technology, please email facultycenter@georgiasouthern.edu with a quote from IT Services indicating that the technology has been approved for use. We recommend explaining the need for purchasing the technology in a clear, accessible manner, avoiding jargon, to ensure all committee members have a comprehensive understanding of why it is necessary.

Application Resources

Video on Understanding Funding Guidelines. 

The following response prompts are scored based on a scale of Does Not Meet Expectations (0) to Exceeds Expectations (2):

1. Describe in specific details the conference or project. Include learning outcomes for projects.
2. Describe how this activity will contribute to your professional development as a teacher and/or teacher-scholar. Identify how the activity will fill professional gaps or address a professional need. 
3. Describe how this activity will strengthen the program/department/college’s ability to support student success and/or how it aligns with one of the university’s major initiatives. 
4. Budget Narrative – provide a clear and specific explanation or justification for each item.

Application Review

• Submissions are reviewed by the FDC in a blind review process.
• Proposals must meet all of the stated guidelines.
• Omit names or initials of any associated persons, including students from the proposal to maintain the blind review process.

Intellectual Property

Please note that the receipt of any award used for the development of creative and scholarly works and new materials, devices, processes, or other inventions which may have commercial potential is governed by the Georgia Southern University Intellectual Property Policy. University personnel are required to provide the Provost with a project disclosure on forms provided by the Office of Research Services and Sponsored Programs.

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Previous Faculty Development Award Recipients

The Faculty Development Committee (FDC) is inviting applications for nomination to the Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award for Online Teaching. Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award for Online Teaching recognizes individual faculty and staff for a strong commitment to engaged online teaching and student success. This is a USG-level award, and the FDC will select the Georgia Southern nominee from the submitted applications. The FDC is a diverse group with representatives from each academic college and the library and is assisted by the Director of the Faculty Center. The nomination portfolio will need to present and/or explain the nominee’s contributions so that faculty members from various and diverse disciplines understand their value.

Eligibility

Current full-time members of the teaching faculty and teaching academic staff must teach a minimum of 12 credit hours of fully online instruction across the fall, spring, and summer semesters. Fully online instruction for this award is defined as “95% or more of the course must be delivered fully online.”

Submission Guidelines

• All materials must be combined into a single PDF file and submitted via email to facultycenter@georgiasouthern.edu. 
• Portfolios, including all components listed below and any supporting materials, must not exceed 15 pages total with 1-inch margins, minimum 12-point font formatting.
• Reviewers will assess only the contents of the portfolio. Links to external materials will not be reviewed.

Portfolios that exceed the limit or do not follow formatting guidelines will not be accepted.

Deadline: Monday, April 6 at 8 AM

The FDC will determine the nominee by May 1.

Required Documents/Nomination Portfolio

All portfolios should include the following components:

1. Table of Contents
   • A list of all portfolio components. (Note: This does not count toward the 15-page limit.)
2. Condensed Curriculum Vitae (2-3 pages)
   • A CV that includes:
     • Course titles and numbers for each fully online course taught in the past three (3) years.
     • A brief description of each online course.
     • Semesters in which each course was taught and number of sections taught per course.
     • Relevant online teaching credentials, certifications, or achievements.
3. Reflective Teaching Statement (1-2 pages)
   • A summary of the applicant’s online teaching philosophy, instructional objectives, and strategies for supporing online student learning, engagement, and collaboration.
4. Teaching Artifacts and Innovations (1-2 pages)
   • A summary of 3-4 innovative teaching practices or tools used to enhance online learning. May include legible screenshots or course visual features (e.g. discussion boards, assessments, multimedia content, etc.).
5. Evidence of Online Teaching Excellence (4+ pages)
   • This section should include a curated selection of materials that demonstrate strong performance in ach of the award criteria. A narrative should be woven throughout to explain the significance and context of each peace. Examples may include:
     • Student success data (e.g., course completion, achievement, or retention)
     • Student evaluation summaries (quantitative and qualitative)
     • Peer evaluations or teaching observations
     • Screenshots or descriptions of interactive tools and activities
     • Evidence of course alignment with Quality Matters or other frameworks
     • Mentoring or support of students or colleagues
     • Scholarly or service contributions to online education
6. Letter of Support (1 page)
   • A letter from the applicant’s department chair or program director that speaks to the applicant’s teaching excellence and impact on student learning in the online environment.

Support Letter Guidelines

The applicant is responsible for providing these guidelines to those who write the support letters. These letters are open format and must indicate who the recommender is and in what capacity they have come to know about the applicant’s contributions to online learning. The letter may address how faculty members achieve some of the following points:

1. Achieve excellence in creating quality online teaching/learning experiences.
2. Update knowledge of effective and innovative online teaching practices.
3. Develop, utilize, and share innovative strategies recognized and promoted by the USG, such as Quality Matters, for creating quality online education.
4. Continually develop and broaden skills and awareness of technologies to enhance student collaboration and quality online education.
5. Uphold departmental standards for students to promote effective and equitable assessment in online environments.
6. Display enthusiasm, consistency and dependability for the possibilities of online education.
7. Any other relevant information about the nominee’s contributions to academic excellence and quality in online education.

Governor’s Teaching Fellows

The Governor’s Teaching Fellows (GTF) Program was established in 1995 by Governor Zell Miller (1991-1999) to provide Georgia’s higher education faculty with expanded opportunities for developing important teaching skills. The goal of the GTF Program is to address faculty members’ need to understand and use emerging technologies and instructional tools that are changing the landscape of teaching and learning in higher education. The Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education hosts the program, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2025.

The Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program is designed for full-time faculty members who teach at accredited public or private colleges or universities in the state of Georgia. Any full-time faculty member, regardless of rank or tenure-status may apply. Please note that preference is given to faculty who primarily teach undergraduate students. Faculty at the University of Georgia and at Georgia’s technical colleges are not eligible to apply. 

Fellows are selected based on:

• Commitment to undergraduate teaching – e.g., how they have improved their teaching practices and how they would like to enhance their teaching and professional development.
• Academic leadership – e.g., their experience in leading initiatives, mentoring faculty or students, developing programs, or contributing to institutional change.
• A letter of support from their institution’s Provost of Academic Affairs. (The GS Faculty Center will be responsible for obtaining this letter.)

Institutions may submit only TWO candidates for the Academic-Year Program, and ONE for the May Symposium. Please note that two applicants from the same institution are rarely accepted for either program.

Learn More About the Governor’s Teaching Fellows

• 2025 – Dr. Shainaz Landge, Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Physics – Regents’ Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Awards
• 2021 – Dr. Aprita Saha, Chemistry & Biochemistry – Felton Jenkins, Jr. Hall of Fame Faculty Award
• 2014 – Dr. Delena Gatch, Physics – Regents’ Award for Excellence in Teaching
• 2006 – Dr. Judy Awong-Taylor, Biology – Regents’ Award for Excellence in Teaching
• 2002 – School of Nursing – Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award (Department/Program)
• 1999 – Dr. Mark Finlay, History, Armstrong Atlantic State University – Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award
• 1998 – Pathways to Teaching Careers Program, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Dr. Evelyn Baker Dandy (Program Director) – Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award (Department/Program)