College Outstanding Teacher Award

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. 

Deadline to Nominate 

The HFA deadline to nominate is typically in early spring.  This year’s deadline will be announced in the fall of 2024.  

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.  

An HFA nomination form will be announced in the fall. Nominators will be required to upload the following documentation:  

  • 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:

  • Amy Fleig, afleig [at] umass [dot] edu (afleig[at]umass[dot]edu)

  • Nancy Noble, nnoble [at] arthist [dot] umass [dot] edu (nnoble[at]arthist[dot]umass[dot]edu)