The Business Student Advisory Council is also responsible for selecting the Rea and Lillian Steele Teacher Excellence Awards from nominees voted upon by the student body. We are dedicated to recognizing and awarding superior performance in the classroom.

The Harley Langdale, Jr. College of Business Administration recognizes faculty excellence each year with the following awards:

  • Rea and Lillian Steele Teacher Excellence Awards
  • Rea and Lillian Steele Outstanding Teacher Award

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for these awards, candidates must satisfy the following requirements:

  • Must currently be a full-time faculty member
  • Must have been employed at VSU as a full-time faculty member in the Harley Langdale, Jr. College of Business Administration for both semesters of the academic year for which these awards are given. New hires for the academic year in which the vote is being conducted may not be included in the ballot for students to vote on in that academic year. For example, a faculty member that began in August of 2023 would not be included in the ballot voted on in October
  • Administrative positions such as Dean, Associate Dean, Department Heads, and Directors are not eligible for these
NOMINATIONS

The nomination and selection process for each award is as follows:

Rea and Lillian Steele Teacher Excellence Awards

The student body of the Harley Langdale, Jr. College of Business Administration will determine the winners of the Rea and Lillian Steele Teacher Excellence Awards by popular vote. Only business majors may vote. Students submit their vote in an online ballot by selecting their choice from a list of eligible Harley Langdale, Jr. College of Business Administration faculty. Voting is conducted during October. The three faculty receiving the highest popular vote will each be awarded a Rea and Lillian Steele Teacher Excellence Award. Further, these three faculty will be considered for the Rea and Lillian Steele Outstanding Teacher Award.

Rea and Lillian Steele Outstanding Teacher Award

The members of the Business Student Advisory Council (BSAC) select the winner of the Rea and Lillian Steele Outstanding Teacher Award. The winners of the Rea and Lillian Steele Teacher Excellence Award serve as the candidates for the Rea and Lillian Steele Outstanding Teacher Award. Candidates will be requested to submit the following materials:

  1. A reflective narrative illustrating how the nominee’s philosophy and practice meets the award criteria (2-4 pages, using 1-inch margins and 12-point font).
  2. An abbreviated CV that focuses on the appropriate content of the award (maximum of 3 pages in length, using 1-inch margins and 12-point font).

Candidates will be notified by November 1st of their eligibility for the Rea and Lillian Steele Outstanding Teacher Award and will be required to submit all materials no later than November 15th. Materials will be submitted electronically to BSAC.

BSAC members will review each candidate’s materials and complete an evaluation rubric/rating form to evaluate each submission. The BSAC will complete its evaluation and selection process by the end of the fall semester and notify the Dean and Associate Dean of the results.

The winner of the Rea and Lillian Steele Outstanding Teacher Award will be considered for the college’s nominee for the VSU Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching. The runner-up of the Rea and Lillian Steele Outstanding Teacher Award will be considered for the college’s nominee for the VSU Presidential Award for Excellence in Online Teaching, if applicable.

CRITERIA FOR OUTSTANDING TEACHER AWARD

The BSAC will look for persuasive evidence that nominees display the following:

A strong and consistent commitment to teaching and learning. This commitment might be demonstrated through activities designed to advance the quality and practice of teaching and learning, to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and/or global and multicultural understanding.

Effective teaching strategies to enhance student learning, including, but not limited to innovative uses of technology, active learning, learning communities, student portfolios, and assessment.

A strong commitment to fostering the academic success of VSU students through interaction with students outside of the classroom (e.g., advising, mentoring, recruiting, etc.).

The award for Outstanding Teaching asks applicants to demonstrate innovative ways to teach theories/concepts/skills in their discipline. Applicants will need to discuss their teaching philosophy and pedagogy and show evidence of student learning to support their claims of being an innovative teacher. That evidence might be in a variety of forms but does not have to include peer-reviewed publications.

(Adapted from the VSU Presidential Excellence Awards)

Outstanding Teacher Award Scale