We describe the nomination process for the Weiss awards. If you have questions please consult this FAQ or contact us directly.
Nominations and Nominators
The nominator can be any member of the Cornell Community but is typically a member of the faculty. The nominator is the individual who submits the dossier. The dossier is a pdf whose structure and content is given below.
An intend-to-nominate email that specifies the nominee’s department and title must be sent to weissawards@cornell.edu (copy nominee’s college associate dean) by March 1, 2024. It should briefly mention in a few sentences the key aspects of the faculty member’s activities that make them a strong candidate for a Weiss teaching award.
A student or staff member who wishes to serve as a nominator is advised to contact the chair of the candidate’s academic unit. Because of the data-gathering work involved, the recommended arrangement is to have a departmental colleague of the nominee oversee the submission because that person can more readily tap into administrative support.
Previously declined nominations can be resubmitted, updated as appropriate.
The Dossier
The dossier consists of a single pdf file that includes a cover page that identifies the nominee and the nominator, a table of contents, and the following content:
The Letters
Three separate letters from faculty or staff with knowledge of the nominee’s skill in and outside the classroom. Letters that are put together and co-signed by groups that consist of faculty and academic support-service personnel are acceptable. Letters included in the dossier should be determined by the department chair/associate dean and should be the most influential toward the success of the dossier.
Five separate letters from students (or former students) whom the nominee has taught or mentored as Cornell undergraduates. Letters that are put together and co-signed by groups of students are acceptable.
The nominator’s letter should be so designated and placed just after the table of contents in the dossier. Nominators are strongly encouraged to have a conversation with the nominee about their teaching so that their letter fully captures the essence of the contribution.
The Curriculum Vitae
The nominee’s curriculum vitae should include awards for teaching and other accomplishments that relate to undergraduate education.
A List of Courses Taught
The list should include all courses taught at Cornell by the nominee during the past ten years. Course number, course title, semester taught, and approximate enrollment should be included. Courses that were c0-taught should be so indicated.
The Documentation of Teaching
The following documentation must be provided for each undergraduate course taught at Cornell by the nominee during the past five years:
(a) Enough information to understand what the course was about and what was required of the student, e.g., weekly homework, papers, projects, portfolios, presentations, exams, etc. Detailed syllabi, copies of key assignment write-ups are acceptable as are links to webpages that include the same.
(b) All written comments that are part of the course evaluation process must be reported. The “cherry picking” of favorable evaluations is not allowed. If numerical scores are part of the evaluation, then it must be possible to get a sense of their value either through raw data or through summary statistics or both. The course evaluation response fraction must also be reported, e.g., “50/60” meaning that there were sixty students in the class and fifty submitted a course evaluation.
Dossiers must be submitted through the faculty member’s associate dean’s office to be in the Dean of Faculty Office by April 12, 2024.
Questions? Contact Jill Short at jms31@cornell.edu or 607/255-4843
