Chapter 10: University-wide Faculty Awards and Recognition

The schools and colleges within Emory University offer a variety of awards for faculty contributions, including the: 

To honor faculty and staff who have significantly enriched the intellectual and civic life of the Emory community, the Thomas Jefferson Award, named and endowed by the Robert Earl McConnell Foundation, is presented annually at Commencement. The award honors a member of the faculty or staff for significant service to Emory University through personal activities, influence, and leadership, usually over the course of many years. 

The Exemplary Teacher of the Year Award, presented annually at Commencement, is a faculty honor supported by the United Methodist Church's General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. 

The Emory Williams Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award is given in recognition of a record of excellence in undergraduate teaching to faculty members in each of the four undergraduate schools. The award was established by Emory Williams, a 1932 Emory College alumnus and long-time trustee. 

The Provost’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Education recognizes outstanding scholars who excel as teachers within formal and informal educational settings. 

The award is given annually at Commencement to one faculty member in each of the seven graduate and professional schools in recognition of the important role of exceptional teaching in graduate and professional education. 

Several indicators of internal and external faculty recognition exist. Internal recognition may occur, for example, in the form of Distinguished Professorships and Endowed Chairs. Emory's Distinguished Professors play a vital role in the university's educational and research mission. They excel as researchers, teachers, writers, thinkers, clinicians, and entrepreneurs. From the bench lab to the classroom, from the patient clinic to the library archives, Distinguished Professors at Emory create new knowledge for the advancement and well-being of humanity. The following are the types of distinguished professorships at Emory: Robert W. Woodruff Professors, Charles Howard Candler Professors, and Asa Griggs Candler Professors. 

In addition, within each school and college are also Distinguished Professorships and Endowed Chairs and Professorships. The Policy and Procedures for Naming Opportunities and Endowed Funds (Policy 3.12) provides guidance on charitable gifts for endowed chairs and professorships. 

Membership in major national and international honorific societies as well as national and international awards is another example of faculty distinction that occurs external to the institution.