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Awards to Faculty

The following awards are coordinated by the Honors and Awards Committee:

The recipient of the Richard M. Hawkins Award shall be an individual judged to have made noteworthy contributions to scholarship or creative activity. The recipient shall be a full-time faculty member. All academic ranks are eligible. While there will normally be a recipient each year, the award will not be presented in a year when candidates fail to meet the necessary criteria as judged by the Selection Committee.

A call for nominations will be extended by the chair of the Honors and Awards Committee in mid-February. Each department may nominate one individual for the award. The name of the nominee and supporting material shall be submitted to the appropriate dean. Supporting material includes a current vita, letters of support, and copies of any scholarly or creative work including, but not limited to, texts, recordings, portfolios, etc. as evidence of a candidate’s contributions. Each dean shall rank the nominees from his/her college or school and submit these ranked names along with the supporting materials to the selection committee via the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs office. The individual receiving the majority vote of the selection committee shall be recommended to the President as the recipient of the Richard M. Hawkins Award.

The selection committee will be composed of the chair of the Honors and Awards Committee, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and chair of the Faculty Research Committee, and the three immediate past Hawkins Award winners. The award is presented at the Fall Faculty Meeting. The award shall consist of $1,000 in faculty professional development funds or a $1,000 check (choice made by recipient) and an engraved plaque with the recipient’s name inscribed. The plaque will be displayed in the foyer of the Browning Administration Building.

A list of past winners and more information is available at the link above.

The Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Faculty Award for Community Service shall be based on service to the community with emphasis placed on contributions that have enhanced or will enhance the quality of life in the Clarksville/Montgomery County area. Contributions may have been made over a period of years.

Each department, dean, faculty member, staff member, or member of the Clarksville Montgomery County community may nominate one individual for the award each year. The recipient shall be a full-time teaching faculty member or departmental chair. All academic ranks are eligible. There shall be a single recipient each year. The call for nominations shall be made by the chair of the Honors and Awards Committee in February. The name of the nominee and supporting materials shall be submitted to the Chair of the Honors and Awards Selection Committee. Supporting materials should include a current vita or resume and letter of support. This committee shall rank the nominees and submit the top three, along with supporting materials, to the President of the University each year by April 1.

The Honors and Awards Selection Committee shall consist of the vice president of Student Affairs, who shall serve as chair; the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs; the executive director, University Advancement; and the director of Alumni Affairs. The award is presented at the Fall Faculty Meeting. The award shall consist of $500 cash provided by the Zinifex Zinc Plant and an engraved plaque serving as a personal memento provided by the Clarksville Area Chamber of Commerce.

A list of past winners and more information is available at the link above.

The APSU National Alumni Association Distinguished Professor Award shall be based on professional performance with a major emphasis on teaching. The recipient shall be a full-time tenured faculty member or a department chair and shall have completed a minimum of ten years of continuous full-time teaching at Austin Peay State University. Faculty who are on leaves of absence for authorized reasons during the minimum ten-year continuous full-time teaching period (for example, professional development leave, maternity leave, etc.) shall still be considered eligible for the award. All ranks shall be eligible. Academic credentials requisite to the position held in the University shall be sufficient for eligibility and selection. There shall be a single recipient of the Distinguished Professor Award each year. Any faculty member who wins this award shall not be eligible again to win the award until twenty years of full-time teaching at APSU have elapsed starting with the semester following the one in which the award was presented.

Each February, the chair of the Honors and Awards Committee will issue a call for nominations from the faculty, the Student Government Association and Alumni as follows: each college dean, the Library Director, the SGA president and the director of Alumni Relations will conduct a nomination process to determine nominees from her/his area, and each will conduct balloting to determine the nominee(s). Selected nominees must submit a one- to two-page narrative biography that includes information about their scholarship and teaching relevant to this award. The nominee receiving the most votes after two balloting processes shall receive the award.

The award shall consist of $1,000 cash, an engraved plaque serving as a personal memento and the recipient's name cumulatively inscribed on a plaque to be permanently displayed in the Browning Administration Building.

A list of past winners and more information is available at the link above.

The Socrates Award for Excellence in Teaching is given for outstanding teaching for tenure- track faculty members who have not yet received tenure and is presented at the annual fall faculty meeting. There are a maximum of five recipients each year. The recipients must have at least one year of APSU's student-teacher evaluations. Non-tenured department chairs are also eligible. In addition to being outstanding teachers, the candidates' academic advising, research, and creative activities that clearly support excellence in teaching will also be considered. Recipients will not be eligible to win during the next two calendar years.

Nominations are made within departments and are forwarded to one of five established selection committees. Each of the following units will field a Socrates Award winner, provided there is a suitable awardee:

  1. College of Arts and Letters;
  2. College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
  3. College of Behavioral and Health Sciences
  4. College of Business
  5. College of Education, Library; and faculty who are not assigned to specific academic units

The individuals receiving the majority of the vote of the selection committee shall be recommended to the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs. This award consists of $1,000 in faculty development funds or a $1,000 check to the recipient (choice made by recipient) and an engraved plaque.

A list of past winners and more information is available at the link above.

The Tenured Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching is given for outstanding teaching to a tenured  faculty member and is presented at the annual fall faculty meeting. There will be no more than one recipient each year. Tenured department chairs are also eligible. In addition to being outstanding teachers, the candidates' academic advising, research, and creative activities that clearly support excellence in teaching will also be considered. Recipients will not be eligible to win during the next two calendar years.

Nominations are made within departments and are forwarded to one of five established selection committees. Each of the following units will field a Tenured Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching winner, provided there is a suitable awardee:

  1. College of Arts and Letters
  2. College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
  3. College of Behavioral and Health Sciences
  4. College of Business
  5. College of Education, Library, and faculty who are not assigned to specific academic units

The individual receiving the majority of the vote of the selection committee shall be recommended to the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs. This award consists of $1,000 in faculty professional development funds or a $1,000 check to the recipient (choice made by recipient) and an engraved plaque.