Regents discuss splitting faculty awards and adding a staff recognition category

The Board of Regents spent part of its January meeting discussing refinements to the faculty recognition program. The chair said last year’s 'faculty of the year' event was meaningful and proposed separating nominees into tenured and non‑tenure‑track categories and considering an additional staff recognition award.

"This is something that celebrating people, you can never do too much of," the chair said, arguing the awards show appreciation and a staff award could be valuable. Board members asked for data showing how many nominees would fall into each proposed pool before agreeing to finalize the policy. Staff said the draft policy currently stratifies non‑tenured faculty into tenure‑track and non‑tenure‑track groups and does not yet include staff.

The board intends to turn the discussion into a formal proposal for a first read to the full board in February and, depending on refinements, a final action in March. Members emphasized the need for clear criteria so institutions can consistently nominate candidates.