Thorpe Awards

All faculty (tenure-track and teaching-track) are eligible for each award, as appropriate. Applications will be solicited following a nomination process. Self-nominations are encouraged. Because of the nature of accomplishments recognized in each award, receiving a Thorpe Award does not preclude one from being considered for the same award in a different award cycle. Each Thorpe award focuses on recent achievements, accomplishments, and contributions and can therefore be awarded multiple times to the same individual.

Kemp honorees are invited to celebrate their recent accomplishments five years after receiving their award and, therefore, are eligible for a Thorpe Award after that point. Additionally, because Endowed Chairs and Professors have been recognized and compensated for excellence in all aspects of their professional lives, and continued excellence is expected as part of their appointment, they are not eligible for Thorpe Awards.

An annual call for Thorpe Awards nominations will be sent out by the Dean of Curricular and Faculty Development each Spring semester. Nominators should submit a brief (no more than 400 words) nomination rationale explaining how the nominee has exemplified excellence in the relevant domain of their professional life. Self-nominations are encouraged and do not require a formal nomination rationale. Instead, please notify the Dean via email (thorpe@iwu.edu) of your intention to apply by the nomination deadline listed below.

Nominees will be contacted by the Dean, who will solicit a complete application from the nominee. The application should include a current C.V. and a narrative (no more than 1000 words) detailing the nominee’s accomplishments as they pertain to the Thorpe Award for which they have been nominated. 

Applications will be reviewed by a committee of faculty members convened by the Dean, including representatives from FDC and CETAL. Nomination information will not be included in the review process so as not to disadvantage self-nominees.

All nominations are due to thorpe@iwu.edu by 4PM on the second Friday of April each year. Individuals will be notified by the Dean the following Monday if they have been nominated, and application materials will be solicited as appropriate. Nominees’ completed applications will be due to thorpe@iwu.edu by 4PM on the first Friday of May. Decisions will be sent directly to applicants by the end of May.

The Thorpe Award in Teaching is designed to recognize and highlight strong pedagogical practices that enhance the student experience at IWU or advance pedagogical practices in higher education generally. Particular emphasis is given to innovative and/or high-impact teaching practices with measurable success. While some teaching awards emphasize a career of teaching excellence, the Thorpe Award in Teaching is meant to acknowledge the work that may be foundational to building a career of teaching excellence or indicates a shift in pedagogy that serves as an exemplar of unique ongoing development.

Criteria on which applicants may be evaluated include:

1. Excellence in classroom teaching as indicated by outstanding student and peer reviews of teaching, as well as evidence of student learning.
2. Activities inside and outside the classroom that indicate extraordinary service to students. Such activities might include, but are not limited to, academic advising, use of technologies that facilitate learning, co-curricular and/or community-based learning opportunities, and facilitation of experiential learning.
3. Efforts at improving teaching, such as assessing the effectiveness of teaching activity and employing innovative approaches (nominee’s original approach or adapted from another) to instruction that enhances student learning.
4. Efforts at curriculum development in one’s own department/program (e.g. Curriculum Development grants submitted to the CETAL/FDC; Curriculum Council proposals for new courses or revising existing courses, including the creation of short-term study abroad courses).  
5. Other: Evidence of impacting the education of students more broadly: outside of one’s own teaching, within one’s department, throughout IWU, and outside of the University; evidence of scholarship in teaching and learning. Special consideration will be given to more recent achievements (e.g., during the past three years).

Previous recipients of the University Excellence Award in Teaching include: Amanda Hopkins (2025), Wendy Kooken (2024), Cristina Almeida-Velez (2023), Elizabeth Haywood (2022), & Brandi Reissenweber (2022).

The Thorpe Award in Scholarly and Creative Work is designed to recognize recent outstanding contributions to one’s professional discipline. Particular emphasis is on the dissemination of scholarship completed at IWU beyond the IWU community.

Criteria by which applicants may be evaluated include:

1. Making a significant contribution to the scholarly life and prestige of the University. 
2. The contribution must be personal (i.e., it must be made by an individual or an individual’s team), it must be scholarly or creative in nature (including artistic production and/or performance), and it must be accomplished while at IWU.
3. The Award may be given in recognition of significant productivity in the current academic year or in recognition of a consistently high level of personal scholarly activity over the last three years. The Award can be given for a single outstanding scholarly/artistic achievement or for a combination of notable achievements; special consideration will be given to more recent achievements (e.g., during the past three years). 

Examples of contributions meriting the attention of the Committee include:

1. The recent publication of a book, a monograph, or other significant and refereed publications in a learned or professional journal.
2. The recent delivery of a scholarly lecture or series of lectures.
3. The completion of a significant research project that has regional, national, or international impact.
4. Participation in a conversation, conference, or workshop program in a significant role, such as speaker, consultant, or discussion leader.
5. Election to office in a learned or professional society, or other special recognition by such an organization.
6. Artistic accomplishments may include, but are not limited to, the creation of art objects, musical compositions, exhibitions of artwork, performances, directorial work, and professional work in the mass media.

It is not expected that a single achievement will be competitive enough to result in an award. Rather, successful applicants will demonstrate the establishment of a body of work/scholarly program that has impacted their field, the institution, or some combination thereof, over a several-year period. This could be accomplished through several related scholarly products or the connection of scholarly work with another professional achievement.

Previous recipients of the University Excellence Awardin Scholarship include:  Courtney Irby (2025), Marie Nebel-Schwalm (2024) & Brenda Lessen Knoll (2023).