President’s Award for Teaching Excellence

Any YU faculty member who has taught at least one YU course in the past 12 months, and is not currently a Program Chair, Director, or serving in any decanal capacities is eligible for the award. 

If you are unsure whether the excellent YU instructor you have in mind meets these criteria, please reach out to us at ctei@yorkvilleu.ca and we can help! 

Yes! Any member of the YU community, including students (and recent grads who have taken a YU course in the past 12 months) may submit a nomination for a YU faculty member. 

Yes! As a faculty member, you may apply directly for the President’s Award for Teaching Excellence if you meet the eligibility criteria. 

Yes! Any member of the YU community, including peers and colleagues of excellent YU faculty, may submit a nomination for the President’s Award for Teaching Excellence. 

Each year, the adjudication committee will identify a group of honourees from among whom four recipients of the President’s Award of Excellence will be selected (two from New Brunswick; one from Ontario; and one from British Columbia). All honourees and the recipients will be celebrated at YU convocations. 

Recipients of the award receive: a citation of excellence; a trophy presented at Convocation; up to 2-nights’ accommodation and meal expenses to attend Convocation as well as a celebratory meal; and up to $3500 for registration, travel, and/or accommodation expenses for a conference or event that will meaningfully contribute to/enhance their teaching practice. 

Honourees of the award receive: a citation of excellence; 1-night’s accommodation and invitation to a celebratory meal; and up to $500 registration for a conference or event that will meaningfully contribute to/enhance their teaching practice. 

Yes, recipients will be expected to: address graduating class(es) at an upcoming Convocation ceremony; deliver a presentation at a school-wide event, such as the annual teaching conference; as well as serve as a member of a future President’s Award for Teaching Excellence Adjudication Committee. 

Honourees will be expected to: deliver a presentation at a school-wide event, such as the annual teaching conference. 

For nominations, there are two key components: 1. Your Statement of Support for the faculty member you are nominating; and 2. Your contact information. 

For applications, there are three key components: 1. Your Personal Statement, 2. Your resume/CV, 3. Your contact information. 

That’s it! See full details and link to the online nomination/application forms below – or click here to nominate or click here to apply! 

This year’s deadline is Monday, January 13th at midnight (local time). 

Once the nominations/applications close, they will move into adjudication cross the following months with the Recipient and Honourees selected by early Spring. The Recipients and Honourees will be announced in April and receive their citations at YU Convocations. 

We imagine no more than 60 minutes/1 hour – of course, it could take a bit longer or a bit shorter depending on your style and approach with your Statement of Support/Personal Statement. The more specific details and examples you can give in your c. 700 words about your YU professor, the more powerful your nomination will be; likewise, for applications, the more specific details and examples you can give about yourself in your c. 700 words, the more powerful your application will be.  

…and you do not have to write a polished, formal letter on fancy letterhead, no! Be you, be true, tell us quick and meaningful stories about them and their excellent teaching, and your voice will go far.  

We invite Award applicants and nominators to book one-on-one meetings to individually chat about the award, reflect on your teaching, and ensure application/nomination packages are complete and ready for submission. 

Connect with The Centre

For nominations – Yes! You certainly can nominate more than one YU faculty member who is an excellent teacher. Be sure to submit these as separate nomination packages with individual Statements of Support and with individual nomination form completions. 

For applications – As a YU faculty member, you can apply only once per year. Regardless of how many courses you teach and how many YU programs you teach in and are connected to, if you are eligible for the Award, one complete application per year will ensure you are considered each cycle. (Remember, if you have received the Award in the past five (5) years, you will unfortunately be ineligible until the end of that five-year period.) 

The Award is adjudicated by a Committee of YU community representatives (students, faculty, and staff) who will review complete nomination and application packages long-listed by YU Vice Presidents, Academic and Principals (NB, ON, and BC),and then arrive at a short-list of candidates to have a live interview conversation with about their teaching. After these Candidate Interviews, the Adjudication Committee will make recommendations to the President for the Recipient and the Honourees.