Solicitation for Nominations

The University of Southern Mississippi

INNOVATION AWARDS

Each year the Vice President for Research and Economic Development (VPRED) seeks to identify and reward members of the university community that have made outstanding research, creative, and other scholarly contributions. These awards celebrate the outstanding scholarly careers of our most productive and influential faculty members in the areas of basic research, applied research, creative activities, lifetime achievement, and academic partnerships. Innovation Awards in various categories are open to tenured and non-tenured faculty, staff, graduate students, and external entities.

These are honors bestowed on individuals with significant research or creative careers that stand out from the generally impressive work of their colleagues. Faculty awards include a medallion to be worn at commencements.

SOLICITATION OF NOMINATIONS

On behalf of the VPRED, the University Research Council (URC) is soliciting from each dean nominations of individuals for each Innovation Award category as described below. Faculty members can make recommendations to their dean through their chair who will provide lists of names to the deans by November 30, 2009. Self-nominations are not permitted. Deans, in consultation with their college's Research Committee, may forward the names of up to two nominees for each award category. The deans will send a list of nominees from each college to the URC (Box 5121) by December 7, 2009.

PROCESS FOR APPLICANT AND WINNERS SELECTION

The URC will send each nominee a request for data to support their nomination. An individual can decline the nomination. If an individual elects to submit his/her name, their application materials must be returned by February 5, 2010. Applications will be evaluated by the URC. Recommendations will be made by the URC to the Vice President for Research and Economic Development by March 8, 2010.

AWARDS ANNOUNCEMENT AND PRESENTATION

Innovation Award recipients will be notified in March. The Innovation Awards will be announced in conjunction with Founder's Day (in March). The awards will be officially presented at LETTERS (Lives Enriched through Their Endeavors: Research and Scholarship) Day in the fall of 2010. Recipients are expected to give a brief presentation on their research as part of the LETTERS Day activities.

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CATEGORIES OF AWARDS

There are eight categories of Innovation Awards:

Basic Research Award  
The Basic Research Award honors a faculty member who has conducted systematic examination of observable facts in order to advance general knowledge, understand phenomena or build theories through her/his research and built the rubric of his/her research. Nominees should demonstrate a high level of external recognition.  

Applied Research Award
The Applied R esearch Award honors a faculty member who has employed the results of basic research to solve specific scientific or social problems or to serve pragmatic purposes such as the practical implementation of research, or to suggest system or policy changes in his/her research area. Nominees should demonstrate a high level of external recognition.

Creative Activities Award
The Creative Activities Award honors a faculty member who has achieved a high degree of accomplishment in one or more areas of creative work at The University of Southern Mississippi. Discipline areas include, but are not necessarily limited to, creative writing, dance, theater, music, visual arts, film, radio, broadcast, or creative activities related to the sciences. Nominees should demonstrate a high level of external recognition.

Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award honors a senior faculty member whose scholarly or creative career has made an extraordinary and significant impact on their discipline, as perceived not only by our university's faculty community, but also by other members of that profession. Nominees should demonstrate a high level of external recognition.

Academic Partnership Award
The Academic Partnership Award honors a faculty member who has pioneered or sustained innovative partnerships between The University of Southern Mississippi and other institutions or groups (including but not necessarily limited to businesses, state and federal agencies, professional associations , community groups or nonprofit organizations). Nominees should demonstrate the primacy of their role in establishing and maintaining academic partnerships for the University.

Research Advocate Award
The Research Advocate Award honors an administrator or staff member who has made significant contributions to fostering research at The University of Southern Mississippi. Nominees should demonstrate a high level of internal recognition.

Research Supporter Award
The Research Supporter Award honors an external individual, agency, or institution that has supported research activities or fostered a climate conducive to advancing scholarly inquiry at The University of Southern Mississippi. Nominees should have a significant and sustained association with the University as demonstrated by their level of commitment.

Graduate Student Award
The Graduate Student Award recognizes a graduate student who has demonstrated exemplary scholarly or creative achievement. Documentation of outstanding accomplishment is required from each nominee.

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INNOVATION AWARDS SELECTION GUIDELINES

1. The University Research Council will solicit nominations annually in November. A request for nominations will be sent to each dean, as well as through e-mail announcements to all university faculty, staff and administrators. ALL nominations must be made through the deans; each dean may make up to two nominations in each category. Nominees must meet the following criteria:

1. Faculty Awards — Basic Research, Applied Research, Creative Activities, Academic Partnerships, and Lifetime Achievements

1. A faculty member in his/her college who represents the highest standards in research or creative activities
2. Tenure track and non-tenure track faculty are eligible for faculty awards
3. Faculty nominees must be full-time employees of the university
4. Previous Innovation Award winners are ineligible for five years from the time of previous award
5. URC members may not be nominated
2. Graduate Student Award
   1. A full-time graduate student in his/her college who represents the highest standards of research or creative activity
   2. Undergraduate students are ineligible

3. Research Advocate Award
   1. An administrator or staff member in his/her college who has made significant contributions to fostering research at the university
   2. Students are ineligible

4. Research Supporter Award
   1. An external individual or institution that has supported research activities or fostered a climate conducive to advancing scholarly inquiry at the university
   2. Employees (faculty and staff) and students of The University of Southern Mississippi are ineligible for the external award

   Faculty members are encouraged to submit the names of other faculty, administrators, staff, students, or external entities to the dean of their college for possible nomination. Faculty who consider themselves worthy of nomination may request nomination by an associate or peer who understands the value of their particular contribution to the university. Self-nomination is not allowed.

2. Recommendations for nominations should be made to the deans by November 30, 2009. Each dean will then narrow the list of nominees to two per award category.

3. The URC must receive nominations from the deans by December 7, 2009.

4. The URC will contact each nominee, who will then have the option to accept or decline the nomination. If an individual elects to accept the nomination, he/she will be required to submit application materials, including supporting documentation of his/her qualifications for the award, no later than February 5, 2010.

5. Following peer review, the URC will recommend to the Vice President for Research and Economic Development one individual in each award category: Basic Research, Applied Research, Creative Activities, Lifetime Achievement, Academic Partnership, Research Advocate, Research Supporter, and Graduate Student.

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INNOVATION AWARDS
APPLICATION MATERIALS

Application materials submitted must include the following:

1. A narrative by the nominee stating the usefulness or significance of his/her research/creative/partnership activity – to be no more than 3 single-spaced legible pages.
2. A curriculum vitae (required for faculty awards) or resume listing all activities relevant to the award category, exclusive of teaching and service.
3. No more than 5 examples of the most recent/significant publications/patents, etc.
4. Three letters of recommendation (external/internal) from individuals familiar with nominee's work.

It is also suggested that the applicant address the following issues, if relevant:

5. Amount and funding source of grants
6. How the research has been applied and by whom
7. How a creative work has been disseminated or used
8. Response of target audience(s) to products of creativity, for example, critiques or awards
9. Benefit of partnership(s)
10. Description of participants
11. Description of activities, experiences, or results
12. Dissemination of findings. For each, specify if the nominee was sole author, first author, second author, or later author.
    1. Publications in refereed journals related to research areas identified.
    2. Publications in non-refereed journals related to research areas identified
    3. Books, chapters, monographs or other relevant types of publications related to identified areas
    4. Presentations and other relevant types of dissemination

    If you have questions about the submission process, please contact Innovation Awards Committee Chair Tisha Zelner at Tisha.Zelner@usm.edu or 601.266.6170, or your URC college representative, who will assist you in the process.

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