UPCEA South Awards Alice Warren Outstanding Service to Continuing Education Award

Alice Warren, the Chair of the 2014 UPCEA Annual Conference and Advisory Committee and former chair of the Awards Committee, has been honored with the Outstanding Service to Education Award by the UPCEA South Region.

Alice Warren is Vice Provost for Continuing Education at North Carolina State University and has been a dedicated leader in the Association at both the regional and national level.

Each region within UPCEA hosts its own awards program. UPCEA also bestows Association-wide awards at its Annual Conference.

A complete list of awards recipients from all the regions will be posted online in the coming weeks.

The Call for Nominations has now closed.

Call for Nominations - South Regional Awards

This year's UPCEA South 2013 Conference: Reflect, Rethink, Respond -- takes place on October 16 - 18, 2013 at the Birmingham Sheraton Downtown, Birmingham, Alabama. UPCEA South would like to honor extraordinary programs and people in continuing education in our region at the 2013 regional conference. We know there are many special and deserving activities and individuals within our institutions, so please take a few moments to review them and consider submitting a nomination.

Regional winners will be eligible to participate in UPCEA's national award program in 2014. 

Award categories for 2013:

1. Outstanding Service to Continuing Education
2. Professional Continuing Educator Award
3. Program of Excellence; Credit
4. Program of Excellence; Noncredit
5. Research & Scholarship Award
6. Continuing Education Faculty Award (credit and noncredit in same category)
7. Emerging Continuing Education Leader
8. Programs for Special Populations
9. Continuing Education Student Award (separate credit and noncredit categories)

Nomination Checklist:

1. Follow the criteria for each award as listed
2. Include a Cover Letter stating:
   • Complete contact information of the person and institution submitting the nomination
   • The name, institution and contact information of the person you are nominating and for which award
3. In a narrative statement of not more than two pages, list the specific reasons why this individual meets the award criteria and should be considered for this honor
4. Support material enhances your nomination. Please include the following:
   • Current resume of the nominee
   • Letters of support from colleagues and/or students
   • Other materials that support the nomination, such as publications

Nomination must be received by August 23, 2013.

Please submit your Awards Nominations with the following form: https://upcea.wufoo.com/forms/south-region-awards-nomination-form/

CATEGORIES AND CRITERIA FOR THE 2013 UPCEA SOUTH AWARDS
I. Outstanding Service to Continuing Education
For an individual who has ten or more years of service in a university continuing education unit and is / or has been during the past two years a staff member of a UPCEA South institution. (Nominations from persons on behalf of their supervisors at their institutions should be excluded).
Criteria:

1. Contributed substantially to the development and maintenance of his/her institution and UPCEA South
2. Demonstrated service which has been recognized and valued by his/her institution and UPCEA South

II. Professional Continuing Educator Award
For a professional member of UPCEA South who is employed in a university continuing education unit for a period of at least the last five, yet not more than ten years.
Criteria:

1. Demonstrated leadership through innovative program development in continuing higher education
2. Distinguished scholarship and notable applied research through outstanding programs, teaching, and/or publication

III. Program of Excellence-Credit
For an individual (or group of individuals) or program that improves the quality of teaching and learning at the nominating institution in a unique manner.
Criteria:

1. Exemplified the best in instructional design and effectiveness in meeting an educational need, while improving the quality of teaching and learning at his/her member institution
2. Must have been offered during the last two years
3. Must have completed one cycle to be considered
4. Must provide a statement explaining accomplishment of program goals and a brief program evaluation
5. Must be a cost effective program

IV. Program of Excellence-Noncredit
For an individual (or group of individuals) or program that improves the quality of teaching and learning at the nominating institution.
Criteria:

1. Exemplified the best in instructional design and effectiveness in meeting an educational need, while improving the quality of teaching and learning at his/her member institution
2. Must have been offered within the last two years
3. Must have completed at least one cycle to be considered
4. Must provide a statement explaining accomplishment of program goals and a brief program evaluation
5. Must be a cost effective program

V. Research and Scholarship Award
For an individual (or group of individuals) who 1) has conducted significant new research with implications for professional practice in the field of continuing higher education, or 2) is an individual UPCEA member whose long-term commitment to the conduct of exemplary research has made a significant contribution to the literature and professional practice in the field of continuing higher education.
Criteria:
A. Research Project:
The nominated project will excel in the following areas:

1. Research findings have strong potential to improve professional practice in the field of continuing higher education.
2. The research project is informed by and builds upon existing literature.
3. The research project represents the highest qualities of scholarship.

B. Individual Researcher:
The nominee will have excelled in the following areas:

1. Produced extensive writings and generated research findings, consistent with the criteria stated above for a research project.
2. Encouraged and enabled graduate students and professional staff to become actively involved in research for the field.
3. Continuously and proactively sought to encourage the implementation of research findings in the practice of continuing higher education.

VI. Continuing Education Faculty Award
For a faculty member at a UPCEA South member institution who has assisted the field of continuing education in a worthy and exemplary manner (credit and noncredit in same category).
Criteria:

1. Served as an excellent teacher to continuing education learners
2. Developed and/or coordinated model continuing education programs
3. Facilitated new programming areas through continuing education
4. Opened new avenues for the advancement of continuing education learners
5. Include curriculum vitae and two letters of support

VII. Emerging Continuing Education Leader
For a relative newcomer to the field of Adult/Continuing Education who has made an outstanding contribution to his/her organization, to UPCEA, and/or to the profession as a whole.
Criteria:

1. Individual must be a university continuing education professional for less than five years.
2. Individual has demonstrated such leadership qualities as clarity of vision, courageous decision-making, promotion of values and ethics, political acumen, and/or savvy and persistence (please cite specific examples of how these traits were demonstrated).
3. Individual might not play a high-level leadership role in his/her organization, but should be a “rising star” who has made a contribution of significant impact.
4. May be self-nominated.

VIII. Programs for Special Populations
For a program that identifies and targets specific groups with unique needs such as (but not limited to) the elderly, young, rural, military, urban, minorities, and disabled.
Criteria:

1. Must demonstrate/explain the need for developing the program
2. Program must have been developed within the past two years
3. Program must have completed at least one cycle within last two years
4. Explanation of program results must be provided
5. Nominations to include sample of program’s marketing efforts

IX. Continuing Education Student Award
For an individual who has shown exemplary determination against difficult odds and with academic excellence as a continuing education student during the previous year (separate credit and noncredit categories).
Criteria:

1. Enrolled as an adult student (age 25 or older) in a program at a UPCEA member institution within the past academic year
2. Managed multiple/significant commitments and responsibilities effectively while engaged in his/her education
3. Possessed an unconventional educational background whose achievement of excellence in the pursuit of his/her education is inspirational
4. Exemplifies the character the nominating institution feels worthy of one selected to represent UPCEA South

Thank you for taking the time to recognize such deserving students, faculty and staff.  Their success is a reflection on the good work we do in continuing education. We look forward to receiving your nominations and supporting information.

Please contact me if you have any questions OR would like to serve on the regional awards committee!
Alan Fiorello
UPCEA-South Awards Chair
University of Virginia
apf6x@virginia.edu
757-594-0792

See 2012 Regional Award Winners