Manning Prize for Excellence in Teaching : Center for Teaching & Learning : UMass Amherst

The Manning Prize for Excellence in Teaching honors one outstanding faculty member from each of the five campuses of the University of Massachusetts. This competitive prize is presented to faculty members who demonstrate excellence in teaching along with exemplary dedication to students and the campus community. President Marty Meehan will host a luncheon celebrating the achievements of the selected faculty members, each presented with a $10,000 award.

Eligibility

All full-time, tenure-system and non-tenure-system faculty members are eligible to receive this award.

Timeline

Deadline for departments to submit the name of the faculty they nominate: Friday, December 8, 2023.

Deadline for nominees to submit their application package and for writers of support letters: Friday, January 26, 2024 at 5 pm.

How to submit materials

Submit Your Application Package Submit Letters of Support Submit Nomination

* UMass log-in required. If you are a letter writer who is not currently UMass-affiliated, please email your letter to @email.

Selection Criteria

Sustained excellence in teaching demonstrated through inclusive and high-impact teaching practices that actively engage diverse students.
Exemplary contribution to the campus community, including mentoring colleagues, sharing best practices, scholarship, and other forms of leadership contributing to excellence in teaching and learning.
Outstanding record of supporting students’ achievement of educational and career goals through mentoring and advising, especially students from underrepresented groups.

Nomination and Application Process

Nomination: Each department may nominate one faculty member. Nomination of previous College Outstanding Teaching Award and Distinguished Teaching Award winners is encouraged, however, faculty with compelling contributions to teaching and learning who have not won either of these awards are welcome.

Application: All nominees will be notified by the Center for Teaching and Learning and may submit applications and invite letters of support. These materials should include and not exceed:

Cover sheet outlining contents of the application package, each item described with no more than 100‐words;
Teaching statement detailing beliefs and practices about teaching, learning, and mentoring, and directly addressing the selection criteria below. Must not exceed 2,000 words;
Your current Curriculum Vitae;
One syllabus developed by you;
Up to three other documents of your choosing as evidence for meeting the selection criteria.

In addition, you will need to ask for letters of support from your department chair/head, two faculty colleagues, and three former or current students (letters written within last two years, though the relationship may be older).

How to submit materials:

Department Chair/Head: Submit Nomination
Nominee (Applicant): Submit Your Application Package
Letter Writers*:Submit Letter of Support

*UMass log-in required. If you are a letter writer who is not currently UMass-affiliated, please email your letter to @email

Step by Step Guide

Click on the + to expand each item

Submit Materials for the Manning Prize

Nominators

Click on the Submit Nomination Link above and follow the instructions to nominate your departmental nominee.

Important Note: Only one person can nominate the one departmental nominee.

Letter Writers

Use the following naming conventions for your letter:

Department Chairs: Last Name Nominee_Department Chair Letter_Last Name Letter Writer
Colleagues: Last Name Nominee_Colleague Letter_Last Name Letter Writer
Students: Last Name Nominee_Student Letter_Last Name Letter Writer

Click on the Submit Letters of Support Link above and follow the instructions there to upload your letter.

Important Note: If you are designated to submit multiple letters for the nominee, please follow the above and submit 1 pdf/word file for each letter. Do not combine multiple letters into one file!

Nominees

1. Gather all your application materials and have them ready before you start the submission process.

2. If you would like to share a URL link to an external source as part of your supplementary materials, create a pdf/word file in which you briefly describe the content of that source and include the URL link. Make sure that the link is publicly accessible and clickable. Only include one external source link per supplemental material.

Use the following naming conventions for your materials:

Last Name, First Name_Teaching Statement
Last Name, First Name_Cover Letter
Last Name, First Name_Syllabus
Last Name, First Name_CV
Last Name, First Name_Supplement1
Last Name, First Name_Supplement2
Last Name, First Name_Supplement3

Important Note: You need to create a separate pdf or word file for each document. Do not combine multiple materials into one file!

3. Click on the Submit Your Application Package Link above and follow the instructions there to upload all application materials at once.

If you designate someone in your department to submit application materials for you, have them follow these instructions. They must create and submit separate pdf or word files for each document.

If you are designated to submit the application package on behalf of the nominee, please follow the above and submit 1 pdf/word file for each document. Do not combine multiple document into one file!

For questions please contact @email