MEMORANDUM

DATE: December 2007
TO: FSU Faculty
FROM: T.K. Wetherell, President
VIA: Kirby Kemper, Vice President for Research and Robert O. Lawton Professor of Physics
RE: Distinguished Research Professor Award 2007 - 2008

Important Dates:

• Deadline: Monday, February 18, 2008, 4:30 p.m.
• Note: There may be earlier deadlines at the department, college or school levels for signing off on these nominations before they are submitted to the CRC.
• Award notification, directly to the PI, via email w/attachments, is planned on/about March 21, 2008.
• Awards will be presented by the university president at the Faculty Awards Program, generally early April.
• Award Period: Lifetime; NEW This year: $10,000 award is one-time only

Introduction:

Florida State University, with the advice and assistance of the Council on Research and Creativity (CRC), requests nominations for Distinguished Research Professor. This award has been designed to recognize outstanding research and/or creative activity of Florida State University faculty.

Colleges and schools are encouraged to make a sensitive inventory of colleagues and present nomination packets for their very best candidates.

Eligibility:

• This award is open to well-established full professors at FSU. Faculty who currently hold a named professorship may be nominated for this recognition.
• A member of the FSU faculty who receives this award will be entitled to use the title, Distinguished Research Professor, throughout subsequent employment at FSU, or until such time as that title is surpassed through receipt of the Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor Award or the Daisy Parker Flory Award.
• Faculty already holding an endowed chair, the Robert O. Lawton Award, the Daisy Parker Flory Award, or the Distinguished Research Professor Award are not eligible.

Example of Current DRPs: Examples of several recent nominations are now available electronically. By clicking on the red word “examples” you will see an available list. Contact Jan Townsend via email at jtownsend@fsu.edu to receive instructions on accessing this information.

Criteria:

Candidates:

1. Must be a full-time full professor faculty who, as of August 2007, has completed at least five years in the rank of professor at Florida State University;
2. Must show evidence of outstanding scholarly productivity and/or creative activity;
3. Must show evidence of national and international visibility in endeavors that emphasize research and/or creative activities;
4. Must show evidence of recognition and honors related to research and/or creative activity; and
5. Must show comments on how the candidate's research informs her/his teaching at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.

Award:

Recipients of this award will receive a one-time payment of $10,000. Recipients will receive a check with taxes deducted. The awardee/s will be recognized at the annual Faculty Awards Ceremony generally scheduled in early April. This award does not carry with it a release from regular teaching or service activities.

Selection Process:

All departments are urged to nominate their most qualified full professors. The CRC will accept all nominations from each school or college (but preferably no more than one per department) and will recommend up to six candidates to the university president from which up to three DRPs will be selected.

Nomination Process:

Two nomination binders, which you will identify as ‘original’ and ‘copy’ (usually 3-ring notebooks with tabs separating the required sections) are to be prepared for each nominee and will include, in this order:

1. A letter of nomination, addressed to the DRP Review Committee, from a Florida State University faculty member or administrator that addresses the selection criteria above; a brief CV (no more than 2 pages) of the letter author is appreciated.
2. No more than three external letters in support of the nomination from scholars outside of Florida State University written within eighteen months prior to the date of this announcement August 2007; it is expected that the external letters will be written from people who have a direct knowledge or relationship to the nominee; a statement on the qualifications of the letter authors and a brief CV of the external letter writer (no more than 2 pages) are appreciated. NOTE: It is required that all external letters be written and addressed to the University President, but mailed back to the person in the department area who requested the letters so that all letters can be included in the binders that come forward to nominate the candidates.
3. Letters, addressed to the DRP Review Committee, in support of the nomination from the nominee's dean, director (if applicable), and department chair carry significant weight and are encouraged; and
4. The nominee's vita which is to include a list of graduate student advisees (present and former); a list of contract and grant awards (with dates and amounts); and a list of invited talks.

Submissions:

Two identical nomination binders (which you will identify as ‘original’ and ‘copy’) are due to Jan Townsend, CRC program coordinator, 109 Westcott, by hand delivery or courier, no later than Monday, February 18, 2008. Do not use campus mail.

NOTE: The ‘original’ binder will be returned to the nominee upon completion of the award program. The ‘copy’ will not be returned but will be kept in the program coordinator’s office to be stored, whole or in part, at her discretion.

Questions?

Call Jan Townsend at 644-8636 or eMail her at jtownsend@fsu.edu.