Dean’s Outstanding Achievement Awards

The Dean’s Outstanding Achievement Awards recognize, reward and encourage excellence in the work of faculty, staff and students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Spanning 16 diverse categories, the awards are given to 16-18 recipients each year. Nominations are now made each year in the Fall and the awards will be presented in a ceremony at the AgriLife Conference in January.

Jump to: Eligibility Guidelines | Selection Process & Award Presentation | Nomination Process | Past Award Winners

To nominate a deserving faculty or staff member, please use the nomination form linked in the appropriate category below. Any faculty, staff and student from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences can submit nominations. There is no limit for the number of nominations that can be submitted from a unit. Nominators are encourage to coordinate with departmental awards committee to avoid duplicate nominations of the same nominee.

Categories

(Click on a title to expand and show a description and nomination link)

Teaching Awards

Early Career Teaching

This award recognizes and encourages excellence in teaching. Successful nominees will exhibit an exceptional command of their subject area, unique and innovative teaching methodologies, outstanding student motivation and inspiration as well as a sense of caring and mentoring for their students. In addition, strong performance in other areas of their faculty appointment (e.g. research, service) is also expected. Teaching excellence award nominees should exemplify the desire to expand and encourage exploration, engagement and inquiry for students.
— Nominees must have less than 5 years teaching experience in a full-time position at Texas A&M
— Online nomination form: Early Career Teaching

Educational Enrichment and Innovation

This award recognizes excellence for college faculty and staff who demonstrate dedication to high impact student experiences and/or are exceptionally innovative in their approach to student learning, in or out of the classroom. Successful nominees will be actively involved in the creation or support of exceptional educational experiences such as study abroad, internships, unique classroom experiences, service learning or other activities that positively impact student engagement and reflection.
— Online nomination form: Educational Enrichment and Innovation

Teaching

This award recognizes and encourages excellence in teaching. Successful nominees will exhibit an exceptional command of their subject area, unique and innovative teaching methodologies, outstanding student motivation and inspiration as well as a sense of caring and mentoring for their students. In addition, strong performance in other areas of their faculty appointment (e.g. research, service) is also expected. Teaching excellence award nominees should exemplify the desire to expand and encourage exploration, engagement and inquiry for students.
— Nominees must have 5 years or more teaching experience in a full-time position at Texas A&M
— Online nomination form: Teaching

Research Awards

Early Career Research

This award recognizes and encourages excellence in research at the state, national and international level. Successful nominees will demonstrate important influence in advancing knowledge in the broad fields of agriculture, natural resources and life sciences. In addition, strong performance in other areas of their faculty appointment (e.g. Dean’s Outstanding Achievement Awards 4 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences teaching, service) is also expected. Outstanding research contributions such as excellence in scholarly publications, lectures, inventions, patents, copyrights, licenses, success in research grants and contracts, graduate student training, research awards and/or involvement in professional societies should be highlighted.
— Nominees must have less than 5 years research experience in a full-time faculty position at Texas A&M
— Online nomination form: Early Career Research

Research

This award recognizes and encourages excellence in research at the state, national and international level. Successful nominees will demonstrate important influence in advancing knowledge in the broad fields of agriculture, natural resources and life sciences. In addition, strong performance in other areas of their faculty appointment (e.g. teaching, service) is also expected. Outstanding research contributions such as excellence in scholarly publications, lectures, inventions, patents, copyrights, licenses, success in research grants and contracts, graduate student training, research awards and/or involvement in professional societies should be highlighted.
— Nominees must have 5 years or more research experience in a full-time faculty position at Texas A&M
— Online nomination form: Research

Interdisciplinary Research Team

This award recognizes and encourages excellence in interdisciplinary research in a team setting. An interdisciplinary team may exist within a single administrative unit, but will more often cross departmental, college or institution lines. Successful nominees will show a coordinated team approach to addressing complex research issues across disciplines focused on a specific program or activity. Nominations should document how team members cooperated and collaborated to move scientific inquiry forward.
— At least one team member must have an appointment in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
— It is strongly encouraged that team nominations not exceed six (6) members.
— Online nomination form: Interdisciplinary Research Team

Student Awards

Graduate Teaching

This award recognizes and encourages excellence in graduate student teaching. Successful nominees will exhibit an exceptional command of their subject area, unique and innovative teaching methodologies, outstanding student motivation and inspiration as well as a sense of caring and mentoring for their students.
— Graduate teaching award nominees must have taught on at least a ½ time basis for two semesters or summer sessions (10 weeks) during his/her graduate enrollment at Texas A&M University or must be completing the second semester of teaching at the time of nomination.
— The nominee must be a full-time student (9 hours minimum), classified as a graduate assistant or 50% lecturer/instructor with teaching responsibilities and have independent authority to assign grades for courses or laboratory sections.
— Online nomination form: Graduate Teaching

Undergraduate Research

This award recognizes and encourages excellence in undergraduate student research. Successful nominees must demonstrate substantial involvement in major research project or conduct independent research with faculty members. The award is limited to research completed while an undergraduate student in a major in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.
— Online nomination form: Undergraduate Research

Graduate Research

This award recognizes and encourages excellence in graduate student research for both master’s and Ph.D. students. The award is limited to research completed while a student in a graduate program at Texas A&M University in a major in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Successful nominees will demonstrate exceptional research advancing knowledge in the broad fields of agriculture, natural resources and life sciences.
— Online nomination form: Graduate Research

Additional Awards

Administration

This award recognizes and encourages excellence in administration. Successful nominees will recognize individuals who have substantially enhanced the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ overall mission and goals through their administrative vision. Excellence in development of faculty and staff, unique or innovate approaches to obtaining resources, building morale, educational achievements or other areas that accomplish the objectives of the College. Examples of eligible titles for this award include: department head, assistant or associate department head, assistant or associate dean, and/or director (e.g. center or institute).
— Online nomination form: Administration

Advising and Student Relations

This award recognizes and encourages excellence in those faculty or staff who advise and support students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Successful nominees are those who demonstrate outstanding care for the professional and personal development of students. Other criteria may include strong communications skills, evidence of selfless service, and encouraging student success.
— Online nomination form: Advising and Student Relations

Diversity

This award recognizes and encourages excellence in achievements, impact and innovations in diversity for faculty or staff. Successful nominees will demonstrate a positive impact on recruitment, retention, or development of programs, courses, activities or attitudes that enhance faculty, staff or student diversity or support underrepresented populations. Nominees should demonstrate outstanding commitment to diversity and promoting a “community of respect.”
— Online nomination form: Diversity

Faculty Mentoring

This award recognizes and encourages excellence in faculty mentoring. Successful nominees are those faculty members who provide exceptional support and guidance to developing other faculty. Successful mentors foster supportive relationships that encourage faculty to create their vision and network for achievement. Nominees should exhibit unique mentoring contributions, such as a focus on new faculty, underrepresented faculty, faculty who enter academe from non-academe, etc.
— Online nomination form: Faculty Mentoring

International Impact

This award recognizes and encourages excellence in international impact and involvement. Successful nominees are those faculty or staff who contribute to significant international outreach, programs or other support of activities which have significant international impacts.
— Online nomination form: International Impact

Staff

This award recognizes and encourages excellence in College of Agriculture and Life Sciences staff members. Successful nominees are staff members who demonstrate exceptional dedication, competence, innovation and willingness to go “above and beyond” expected job duties. Other criteria may include a commitment to the core mission of the college, demonstrated leadership, outstanding communication and cooperation, an ability to improve college processes or programs and a desire to enhance the reputation of the College.
— Online nomination form: Staff

Service

This award recognizes and encourages excellence in service or other outreach related activities by faculty or staff. Successful nominees will exhibit outstanding personal engagement in outreach and engagement with the community, university, professional organizations, student organizations or other groups. The award supports Texas A&M’s Vision 2020 plan, “This landmark legislation [the Morrill Act] recognized that education could and should lead to the improvement of the human condition. It also resulted in recognition that learning should be for the many rather than the few. This strong notion of service still prospers at Texas A&M University.”
— Online nomination form: Service

Eligibility Guidelines

In order to be eligible for a Dean’s Outstanding Award, nominees:

Must have some portion of their appointment with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences or have significant demonstrated responsibilities or duties to the College on campus
Must have been employed for at least 2 years (student awards are exempt from this requirement)
Must not have won the award for 5 years previously

Selection Process & Award Presentation

Please note the following:

The COALS Awards Committee will serve as the selection advisory committee.
There is no limit for number of nominations from individual department/unit.
The award recipients will be recognized in a ceremony in the spring. They will receive a framed certificate as well as a monetary award of $500 for individuals and a shared $2,000 for the team awards.

Nomination Process

Nominations can be submitted using the web-based nomination forms (links are located in each award listing above) with the following materials:

Required nomination information based on the evaluation rubric
Curriculum Vitae
- CVs are required for individual nominations
- Attach curriculum vitae, with an emphasis on the information relevant to the award category.
Team Accomplishments (required for team awards only)
- Attach a document (no more than 2 pages, no smaller than 11 point font), defining the purpose and primary objective(s) of the team and provide a brief summary of the team’s activities, accomplishments and impact of the team’s contributions, recognition, awards, honors and publications.
Optional Letters of Support/Recommendation
- No more than three signed letters; two-page maximum each
- Letters of support are not required, but greatly enhance the strength of the nomination.

Past Award Recipients

The following link provides the full list of winners in their respective categories.

Past Award Recipients (PDF)