University Awards

The College Outstanding Teaching Award is awarded annually within HFA to faculty who have made significant contributions to undergraduate student education. The recipients are celebrated for exceptional teaching, mentoring, and curriculum development efforts, and for their impact on students' lives. COTA recipients are announced by the University in the spring. 

Main Website

Center for Teaching & Learning

Deadline to Nominate 

The HFA deadline to nominate is 5pm, Friday, February 21, 2025.

Nomination Procedure 

Nominations may be made by an individual’s department chair, department personnel committee, or an HFA colleague. Any full-time HFA faculty member with 3 or more years of teaching experience at UMass may be nominated, excluding recipients during the past five years.  

The nomination documents listed below should be compiled into a single PDF and sent to the attention of Assistant Dean Kara Eich-Richardson at advising@hfa.umass.edu no later than 5pm, February 21, 2025.  

• Up to 3 statements of support from students who have taken two or more courses with the nominee. When composing their statements, students should speak to the impact the instructor has had on their academic career and vocational or professional aspirations and describe two or three classroom experiences to illustrate why the COTA honor is deserved. 
• A classroom observation letter written by the nominator or another HFA colleague. The letter should describe 1.) the circumstances under which the nominee was observed teaching and 2.) the qualities that distinguish the nominee as an instructor, educator, and teacher. Specific examples should be provided to illustrate and support at least two of these characteristics. 
• A statement by the nominee discussing 1.) what or who inspires their teaching and 2.) their teaching goals or objectives and how they define success. 
• An HFA course list template completed by the nominee.  

Who to Contact

For more information, please contact:

•  advising@hfa.umass.edu

The Conti Fellowship recognizes tenured faculty for their record of outstanding accomplishments in research and creative activity and is awarded based on the nominee’s potential for continued excellence, particularly regarding the project that would be undertaken during the Fellowship period as proposed in their nomination materials. Provides a one-year release from teaching and service duties and $3,500. 

Main Website

Samuel F. Conti Faculty Fellowship Awards

Nomination Deadline 

The college’s nomination deadline is December 6, 2024.  

Nomination Procedure 

Nominations may be made by the department chair, department personnel committee, or HFA colleague. During the fall semester, chairs will consult with their department personnel committees to identify prospective nominees and assemble the required materials. Self-nominations are also permitted, in which case the supporting letter may be written by a colleague or by the department head/chair.  

New guidance added, Fall 2024: Because candidates come from a wide variety of disciplines, nominations should be prepared for a broad audience, most of whom have little disciplinary context. Because finalists all have excellent records of research and creative activity, awards depend strongly on a compelling project proposal that can be accomplished during the fellowship period. Nomination materials and referee letters that address the significance of the project and the potential for success and impact, are most useful for the review. Furthermore, the timing of a proposed project has often been compelling to reviewers, such as an opportunity that is available for a limited time or addresses an urgent societal issue.  

To nominate HFA faculty, please use the College's nomination form. The following materials will be required:  

• The candidate’s statement of up to 1,000 words describing how the Fellowship time would be spent 
• Nominee’s complete curriculum vitae 
• Letter of support from the nominee's department head/chair, including comments on the impact of the proposed project 
• A list of no more than five external referees and their contact information, from whom recommendation letters will be requested if the nomination packet is forwarded by the dean to the VCRE. For each referee, include the individual's name, email address, professional title, institutional affiliation, and phone number. You may provide a few words to establish context for the inclusion of an individual if it is not otherwise clear. 
• Candidates nominated in the previous three years may rely on reference letters from the previous nomination.    

Who to Contact

For more information, please contact:

• Amy Fleig, afleig@umass.edu

• Pari Riahi, priahi@umass.edu 

The University’s Office of Research and Engagement supports campus research and creative efforts with several grant and award programs. Information and application