H. LEE COOPER CORE CURRICULUM TEACHING AWARD
Date:
To:
From:
Re:
February 17, 2014
University Faculty (Full Time and Adjunct)
University Core Council
Cooper Core Curriculum Award
The University Core Council is pleased to invite nominations for the H. Lee Cooper Core
Curriculum Teaching Award.
The award honors a faculty member whose work in University Core courses has been
especially creative and successful in furthering UCC goals, and focuses exclusively on teaching
within the Core. An individual plaque, a generous stipend, and additional faculty development
support are provided by a fund established for this purpose by Mr. Cooper and his friends and
colleagues.
Nominations are made by members of the USI teaching faculty, full-time or adjunct. All
faculty are eligible to nominate colleagues, but the nominees themselves must be members of the
Core teaching faculty - again, either full-time or adjunct. Students are encouraged to petition
department chairs or other faculty to recommend the nomination of candidates they deem worthy.
Self-nominations are not allowed. The University Core Council, working with Mr. Cooper, may
select one recipient each year, though it is not bound to select a recipient every year.
Please review the attached guidelines and nominate the faculty member you believe most
deserving of this honor. A nomination form is attached for your use. Anyone needing a hard copy
of these materials may secure them from Mark Krahling at 464-1712 or mkrahlin@usi.edu. Direct
other questions to Mark Krahling or to your UCC Council representative:
 Business: Jane Johansen
 Nursing and Health Professions: Jeri Berger
 Liberal Arts: David Hitchcock, Bartell Berg
 Science, Engineering and Education: Rick Hudson, Jim Bandoli
 At Large: Tracy Kinner, Thuy DaoJensen
Nominations must be returned to your representative or to Mark Krahling, UCC Director,
by Friday, March 21, 2014. The award will be announced before the end of the Spring semester,
with the plaque and stipend officially presented at the all-University meeting in August.
Application – H. Lee Cooper Core Curriculum Teaching Award
Page 2
Guidelines for the
H. LEE COOPER CORE CURRICULUM TEACHING AWARD
1. Rationale
The H. Lee Cooper Core Curriculum Teaching Award recognizes superior teaching in University
Core Curriculum. It serves as a motivator for faculty and provides faculty role models for UCC
teachers. It complements an already existing award for students, the Trustee's Distinguished Merit
Award, which recognizes superior work by a student in the Core Curriculum. Named for an
Evansville civic leader and long-time supporter of education, the award recognizes Mr. Cooper’s
commitment to the role of liberal arts education in the workplace.
2. Eligibility
With the exception of current members of the University Core Council, all members of the Core
teaching faculty, both full-time and adjunct, are eligible to receive the award. Such faculty are defined
as those who have taught at least one course for the University Core Curriculum. There are no
restrictions as to rank, years in service, or other quantitative criteria. Past recipients are also eligible if
their work in Core teaching deserves continued recognition.
3. Procedures
a. Nomination. Nomination forms will be distributed annually at the beginning of the Spring
semester. Members of the teaching faculty, both full-time and adjunct, may nominate
colleagues. The nominator shall complete the top of the one-page nomination form; the
nominee must sign the bottom. Font size shall be no smaller than 12 points. Each
nomination should be made by one faculty member only, thus carrying a single signature.
Nominations are due on the Friday following Spring Break.
b. Documentation. Nominations should include a narrative of not more than four single-sided
pages, written by the nominator, providing evidence of the following:
 that UCC courses taught by the nominee clearly address UCC goals and
objectives
 that students completing these courses have made significant progress
toward those goals and objectives
 that the nominee evokes creativity and contributes toward the
development of student character
Supporting documents (e.g., syllabi, assignments, student work, letters of endorsement from
students and colleagues, peer and student evaluations of classroom performance,
contributions to advising, and the like) may not exceed a total of twenty (20) single-sided
pages. Font size of all documentation must be no smaller than 12 points. All documentation
materials are due at the same time as the nomination form itself.
Application – H. Lee Cooper Core Curriculum Teaching Award
Page 3
4. Selection
The University Core Council, working with Mr. Cooper, may select one recipient each year, though
it will not be bound to do so if, in its judgment, no nominee qualifies.
5. Award
The recipient will be personally informed of his or her selection by the University Core Director
before the end of the spring semester. A public presentation of the award, including an individual
plaque and stipend, will occur at the semi-annual University meeting in August. The recipient’s name
and home department will be inscribed on the publicly displayed H. Lee Cooper Core Curriculum
Teaching Award plaque.
6. Lecture
Award winners are expected to deliver a lecture or other public presentation to the USI community
during the following academic year on a topic related to teaching or educational philosophy.
7. Nomination Check Sheet (no fonts smaller than 12 points)



Nomination form (one page maximum)
Narrative (four pages maximum)
Documentation (20 pages maximum)
Application – H. Lee Cooper Core Curriculum Teaching Award
Page 4
University Core Curriculum
H. Lee Cooper Core Curriculum Teaching Award
Name of Nominee: ________________________________________________________
I. (to be completed by nominator) Present an abstract in the space provided to support this
nomination.
Signature of Nominator: ____________________________________ Date: __________
II. (to be completed by nominee) Indicate the most recent semester in which you have taught a
University Core course, and list the course(s) taught in that semester
Course(s)
Semester
III. (to be completed by nominee) If selected for this award I agree to deliver a lecture or other
public presentation to the USI community during the coming academic year on a topic
related to teaching or educational philosophy.
Signature of Nominee: ______________________________________ Date:__________
Return to Mark Krahling, UCC Director, by March 21, 2014.