UPCEA Central Region
2013 Celebration of Excellence
Call for Nominations

 

Purpose of the Awards

The UPCEA Central Region Celebration of Excellence Program is designed to serve three major purposes:

1. to provide recognition to individuals who have originated new and successful programs, or who have made a major contribution to the field of Adult/Continuing Education either through service, research, or publication;
2. to provide recognition to creative and innovative credit and noncredit programs in the field; and
3. to communicate ideas regarding successful programs among the member institutions.

 

Eligibility

To be eligible to receive an award, the nominated individual or department must be part of an institution that is a current member of the UPCEA Central Region. Award nominations must be submitted by July 26, 2013. Late submissions will not be accepted.

 

Categories

Category 1: Innovative Program (Credit or Noncredit)
This award will be given to an outstanding new credit or noncredit program. To be eligible, nominated programs should have been offered by a Central Region member institution within the last two years. Priority consideration will be given to programs that deal with social, diversity or educational issues.

Evaluation criteria for Category 1:

• Submit completed nomination form by July 26, 2013

• Cost effectiveness—Program must be cost effective in a manner consistent with the stated program objectives.
• Longevity—Program must have completed at least one cycle to be considered.
• Innovation—extent to which the program uses creative ideas in one or more areas or applies ideas in new ways, especially electronic modalities.
• Diversity—Program is intended to serve underserved populations.
• Quality—extent to which the program has fulfilled objectives. Nominations should include stated objectives, an estimate of success, and evaluation results.
• Contribution to adult/continuing education—degree to which a program makes an ongoing and significant contribution to the field or can be replicated in other settings and institutions.

Category 1 online submission form

Category 2: Mature Program (Credit or Noncredit)
This award will be given to a mature credit or noncredit program demonstrating sustained innovation. To be eligible, nominated programs must have been offered by a UPCEA Central Region member institution for the past five years. Priority consideration will be given to programs that deal with social, diversity or educational issues.

Evaluation criteria for Category 2:

• Submit completed nomination form by July 26, 2013
• Cost effectiveness—Program must be cost effective in a manner consistent with the stated program objectives.
• Longevity—Program must have been sustained for five years.
• Innovation—extent to which the program uses creative ideas in one or more areas or applies ideas to create sustainability, especially electronic modalities.
• Diversity—Program is intended to serve underserved populations.
• Quality—extent to which the program has fulfilled objectives. Nominations should include stated objectives, an estimate of success, and evaluation results.
• Contribution to adult/continuing education—degree to which a program makes an ongoing and significant contribution to the field or can be replicated in other settings and institutions.

Category 2 online submission form

Category 3: Excellence in Teaching
This award will be given to the individual who has provided outstanding leadership/service to continuing education in the UPCEA Central Region.

Evaluation criteria for Category 3:

• Submit completed nomination form by July 26, 2013
• Length of service—a minimum of 5 years
• Innovation in programming—extent to which programs generated by the individual have been new, creative, reached diverse populations, or innovative.
• Benefit to the institution—exemplary contribution to the institution and the profession.
• Outstanding teaching and mentoring of students—teaching may be defined to include work with students at any level and in a wide variety of settings: teaching effectiveness includes the ability to meet student learning objectives and evidence of a student-centered approach; evidence of superior student mentoring should illustrate nominee’s concern for student development beyond normal expectations of advising.
• Overall contribution to the field—research, publication, program development, conference, presentations, etc.

Category 3 online submission form


Category 4: Professional Continuing Educator Award
This award recognizes the scholarship, leadership, and contributions of a person who has entered the profession in the last five to 10 years. The recipient also will be nominated by the UPCEA Central Region for the UPCEA Adelle F. Robertson Professional Continuing Educator Award. Recipient must be a UPCEA member.

Evaluation criteria for Category 4:

• Submit completed nomination form by July 26, 2013  
• Membership—Nominee must be an UPCEA Central Region professional member who has exhibited outstanding service to the profession.
• Supporting statements and recommendations—indicating why this individual deserves nomination for the award
• Current vita of nominee
• Recommendations—minimum of three recommendations from colleagues of the nominee who can attest to qualifications

Category 4 online submission form

 

Category 5: 2013 John L. Christopher Outstanding Leadership Award
The John L. Christopher Outstanding Leadership Award honors the memory of Dr. Christopher, former dean of the School of Extended Studies and Public Service at the University of Wyoming. Dr. Christopher was a lifetime member of UCEA (now UPCEA) and served the association, especially in many leadership roles in the former Great Plains Region. He was successful in his career because of his persistence, his personal strength, his knowledge and dedication to the field of continuing higher education, and his strong sense of professionalism. He was a man of strong convictions and remarkable achievements, with a keen intellect, a willingness to serve, and incredible sense of humor, and a practical, straight-forward approach to life.

Evaluation criteria for Category 5:

• Submit completed nomination form by July 26, 2013
• Outstanding leadership and service – Award will be given to an UPCEA Central Region professional member who has exhibited outstanding leadership and service within the region.
• UPCEA involvement – Items to be considered are committee activity, conference activity, promotion of UPCEA at the institutional, state and regional levels and commitment to adult and continuing education within the member’s institution and the region.
• Membership – The award recipient must be a current, professional member of UPCEA.
• Current vita of nominee

Recognition: Winner will be honored during the awards ceremony at the fall conference.

Category 5 online submission form

Category 6: Research and Publication
This $750 award (and conference registration waiver for one awardee to present at the 2014 conference) will be given to the continuing educator, faculty, or graduate student whose research proposal promises to make a significant contribution to the study of Adult or Continuing Education. The proposed research project must be completed by the end 2013-2014 academic year. It should be noted that the award recipient must be available to receive the award at the 2013 Central Regional Conference in Minneapolis (September 25-27), and must present his/her findings at the Regional Conference the following year (2014). Areas of research may include, but are not limited to, such topics as adult teaching and learning, follow-up studies of adult students, etc.

Evaluation criteria for Category 6:

• Submit completed nomination form by July 26, 2013  
• Originality—explores new ideas or original application of ideas.
• Overall quality—extent to which the proposal defines its objectives, establishes an appropriate methodology, and sets a realistic timetable; overall merit of the proposal.
• Application/contribution to adult/continuing education—significance of the proposed project to the field of knowledge or the practice of adult/continuing education.

Questions regarding award category 6 should be addressed to:
Dr. Naj Shaik
Phone 217-265- 9153
shaik@ad.uiuc.edu

Category 6 online submission form

 

Category 7: Outstanding Continuing Education Student Awards
These two awards honor continuing education students who are either credit or noncredit students at UPCEA Central Region member institutions for achievement of excellence in pursuit of their educational goals.

The recipients also will be nominated by the UPCEA Central Region for the UPCEA Professional Continuing Education Student Awards.

Evaluation criteria for category 7:

• Submit completed nomination form by July 26, 2013  

• Criteria for Credit Students

• The nominee must have been enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at a UPCEA Central Region member institution within the past 12 months, or have graduated no more than one year prior to the time the award is granted.
• The nominee must be an adult student who has met the challenge of an unconventional educational background and who has become an inspiration to others through the individual growth accomplished in pursuit of his/her educational goals.
• The nominee shall have managed multiple/significant commitments and responsibilities effectively while engaged in his/her education.
• The nominee must be 25 years of age or older.

• Criteria for Noncredit Students

• The nominee must be enrolled in a noncredit program at an UPCEA Central Region member institution within the past 12 months.
• The nominee must be an adult student who has achieved excellence in pursuit of his/her educational goals.
• The nominee shall have managed multiple/significant commitments and responsibilities effectively while engaged in his/her education.
• The nominee must exemplify the best characteristics and standards of the noncredit student.

• Nomination Requirements

• The award(s) are made to persons upon recommendation from the UPCEA Central Region Awards Committee.
• The award(s) are not necessarily given annually.
• In order for nominated students to be eligible to receive the award, they must be present at the awards ceremony at the regional conference. It is expected that the nominating institution should provide travel expenses for the student; however, the UPCEA Central Region will provide some financial support for conference expenses of the award winner should the institution not be able to provide support.

• Nomination Procedure

• Each nomination must include a nomination form (online submission form), a current vita of the nominee, and two letters of nomination or support from informed individuals; e.g., academic department chair or faculty member; dean or director of continuing education; president or vice president of the nominee’s institution. The letters must address the nominee’s accomplishments.
• The nominee must write a statement describing his or her achievements with an emphasis on the growth accomplished while enrolled as a student.
• Documentation of the student’s excellence in achievements must include materials such as grade point average, official transcripts, CEUs, student activities, university involvement, community contributions, employment, job performance, and so forth.

 Category 7 online submission form

Category 8: Continuing Education Support Specialist Award—Staff in a Support Role
The purpose of this award is to provide recognition to a UPCEA Central Region professional member or a continuing education staff person of a member institution who has exhibited creativity and innovation in the area of program support (e.g., public information officers, marketing personnel, business personnel, registration staff, etc.).

Evaluation Criteria for Category 8:

• Submit completed nomination form by July 26, 2013  
  
• Must be a current UPCEA professional member or a member of a UPCEA Central Region institution’s continuing education staff.
• Information submitted should describe the unique circumstances of support to the continuing education unit and focus on the effects of the nominee’s service.
• Consideration will be given to creative and innovative work in support of adult and continuing education programs.
• Supporting narrative (no longer than two pages) describing how the nominee meets the award criteria, purpose, and description.

Category 8 online submission form

 
Selection Process

• Each nomination (except those in the Research and Publication category) will be reviewed by three members of the UPCEA Central Region Awards Committee. The reviewers will independently rate nominations on the basis of the stated evaluation criteria for each category.

• Nominations in the Research and Publication category will be evaluated by a committee appointed by the Research Chair of the UPCEA Central Region.

• The UPCEA Central Region Awards Committee may recognize more than a single nomination in a given category; the committee reserves the right to withhold awards in a category if the nominations do not meet the stated evaluation criteria.

• The committee's decisions will be final.

 

Application Procedure

• To submit a nomination, complete the appropriate online award nomination form.
  
  
• Questions regarding the submission process should be directed to:

  Deborah Thalner
  DeborahThalner@ferris.edu
  
  Gayla Stoner
  gstoner@pvc.siu.edu

• If you have problems with the online submission form, please contact Debbie Hagenmaier at debbieh@k-state.edu.                         

• Nominations must be submitted by Monday, July 26, 2013. Award notifications will be in mid-August.

 

Recognition/Award Presentations

Each award recipient will receive a plaque at the awards ceremony during the conference, and appropriate regional nominations will be forwarded to UPCEA for national award consideration.