Establishing a faculty recognition ecosystem at KU

Creating a faculty recognition ecosystem at KU requires taking actions that reflect our commitment to supporting faculty and honoring their efforts to advance knowledge and achieve discoveries that make a difference in people’s lives.

There are a variety of ways to build a faculty recognition culture. Some of the avenues we are pursuing at KU include: 

• Creating an awards mindset among faculty. Stress the importance of maintaining current CVs that are readily available for potential nominations. Construct award ladders, either as examples or specific to individual faculty members, to establish recognition goals. Encourage attendance at national and international conferences to network and become known through presenting papers and/or serving on committees.
   
• Holding a variety of faculty recognition events. Spotlight faculty who conduct outstanding research, both with smaller school events and larger campus- or university-wide gatherings. Include researchers from across the spectrum, from early career to those with prestigious awards, to create opportunities for networking among colleagues.  
    
• Establishing a Model Leaders program featuring nationally recognized cross-disciplinary researchers. Invite notable speakers to campus each semester to give a public talk on their innovative research and provide opportunities for interactions with students and faculty.
   
• Offering professional development opportunities. In collaboration with Faculty Affairs, provide workshops on topics such as writing strong support letters and effective biographical profiles.
   
• Involving emeritus faculty. Invite retired faculty to share their expertise and wisdom through such activities as reviewing nomination packets, offering advice on ways to maximize career goals and visibility, participating on internal award review panels, and serving as nominators.
   
• Elevating stories of notable research discoveries across a broad array of audiences. KU has an almost endless supply of examples of innovative research that people in the region and beyond should know about. How does what is happening in the lab or in the field impact their lives?

My office is working to develop these activities, and other ideas will emerge as our faculty recognition program achieves greater visibility and engagement. Working together, we will grow our ranks of awarded researchers and celebrate their well-earned recognition.    

Robin Lehman
Director of Faculty Recognition and Awards