W. George Pinnell Award

W. George Pinnell Award for Outstanding Service

Since 1988, this award has recognized Indiana University faculty and librarians who have shown a deep commitment to serving the university, their profession or discipline, or the public. You can learn more about the awards and past honorees on the University Honors and Awards website.

Submit a Nomination

Eligibility

Nominees are eligible for these awards if they meet the criteria below:

Academic Appointment

Full-time faculty or librarian, regardless of rank or title.

Length of Service

At least 5 years of service at Indiana University, which do not need to be consecutive, and the academic year in which the nomination is made may be counted toward this five-year requirement.

Administrative Service

Appointment should not exceed 50% administrative appointment or responsibilities during the 5 consecutive years leading up to the time of nomination.

Selection Criteria

The selection committee seeks nominations of faculty or librarians who have a demonstrated long-term commitment to service to the university, their profession or discipline, or the public. Honorees typically have received service awards from their department, school, or campus before being nominated for this university award.

When reviewing nominations, the selection committee places special weight on the following:

Exceptional service to the university, over a period of at least five years, which has resulted in greater effectiveness, efficiency, and/or visibility of the university because of the individual’s efforts. No distinction is made between persons who have or have not been appointed to a service role. Instead, the emphasis is on the extraordinary nature of the contributions in one or more roles.
Exceptional service to a profession or discipline with a demonstrated substantial impact on the ways in which the organizations serve and promote members’ activities and interests. The emphasis should be on the extraordinary nature of the contribution.
Exceptional service at the local, national, or international level which reflects continuing effort and unusual achievement in promoting the objectives of a public service agency or a public service principle.
Exceptional service of a comprehensive nature which demonstrates uncommon achievement in several areas, and which reflects both a breadth of involvement and a depth of commitment to the broader missions and interests of the university and its constituents.

While it is not expected that nominees will demonstrate an outstanding record in all areas, nominees should document what distinguishes their service to the university, profession, discipline, or public.

Dossier

Dossiers contain the following materials. In total, the core and award specific material materials are required to be in the dossier and should not exceed 80 pages in total.

Nomination Letter

The nomination letter should address:

The nominee’s most relevant and impressive qualifications, qualities, and activities.
References to specific examples of extraordinary service to campus, university, local, national, and international communities, and professional academic discipline.

Preferably, the letter is from the respective department chair, dean, or vice chancellor or provost of academic affairs.

There should be no more than 1 nomination letter and it should not exceed 2 pages.

Nominee Statement

The nominee statement should address:

The nominee’s service contributions to the university, profession, or discipline.
Local, national, or international public service that demonstrates uncommon achievement, breadth of involvement, and a depth of commitment to the broader mission and interests of the university and its constituents.
How the nominee embraces a variety of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences to enrich our community and drive innovation.

The nominee statement should be 5-8 pages, double-spaced.

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

The curriculum vitae should be:

Up to date.
Detailed in its selection of service activities.

Description and Impact of Service Activities

This annotated description should address:

The nominee’s service activities.
The extent of impact of those service activities.

This annotated description should beclearly organized by context—university, profession, discipline, local community, state, and nation.

Peer/Administrative Review Portfolio

The peer/administrative review portfolio should address:

Specific feedback and critique of the nominee’s engagement with an individual or organization, rather than general letters of support from service partners.
Observations across several semesters is strongly encouraged.

There should be 1-3 formal or informal evaluative documents.

Letters of Support

This section may include:

Up to 5 letters of support from professional colleagues.
Up to 5 letters of support from external organizations or community leaders.
All letters should provide specific examples of the nominee’s engagement and impact on their profession or community through service.

These letters should be 1-2 pages in length.

Research and Public Activity Related to Teaching

This section should address:

Publications, disseminated works, and formal presentations at local, national, and international conferences and invited talks that are specifically related to the nominee’s engagement with service at the university, profession or discipline, or public.
Do not include products not directly related to the nominee’s service record.

This should be an annotated list of publications, disseminated works, and formal presentations. Do not include copies of the publications.

Recognition

Honorees are recognized at a celebration event. They are also featured among other honorees on the University Honors and Awards website and a plaque in the Indiana Memorial Union. Lastly, honorees are given a one-time supplemental pay.

Page Last Updated: May 23rd, 2024
Please Note: The information displayed is subject to change.
Questions: To review sample dossiers and for all other questions, please contact uha@iu.edu
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W. George Pinnell Award