Faculty and staff awards

The Office of the Provost is pleased to announce the availability of funding to support college and University awards for undergraduate teaching and advising. Awards are to recognize excellence, innovation, and effectiveness in either teaching, mentoring or advising.  The award categories are:

1. Undergraduate Teacher of the Year 
2. Professional Advisor of the Year
3. Faculty Advisor/Mentor of the Year

Each of the three award categories will be covered by a central funding allocation ($2000 per category). Colleges may use additional funds to provide more than one award within each category. Colleges without undergraduate instruction (Dentistry, Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Medicine) may grant awards for outstanding teaching or advising, but they must do so with college funds, and those colleges are not eligible for the University-level award. 

In addition to the college-level awards, there will be one University-level award in each of the three categories: (1) University Undergraduate Teacher of the Year award; one (1) University Professional Advisor of the Year award; and one (1) University Faculty Advisor/Mentor of the Year award.  Each college may submit no more than one candidate for each award chosen from among those who received the college-level awards. Each University-level award will be for $4,000. 

There are guidelines for each award, including deadlines for each step in the process and responsibilities of colleges and the Office of the Provost. Please visit the Office of the Provost’s page for the Teachers / Advisors of the Year Awards for full information.

The central funding for college-level awards for the eligible colleges is as follows:

Agricultural & Life Sciences	$6,000
Business Administration	$6,000
Design, Construction & Planning	$6,000
Education	$6,000
Engineering	$6,000
College of the Arts	$6,000
Health and Human Performance	$6,000
Public Health & Health Professions	$6,000
Journalism & Communications	$6,000
Liberal Arts & Sciences	$6,000
Nursing	$6,000
Undergraduate Affairs	$2,000
UF Online	$2,000

Provost allocated payments for college and University-level awards will be processed by the Provost’s Budget Office.  As mentioned, colleges may provide additional awards in each category; however, they will need to process the awards themselves. Colleges processing their own awards are encouraged to wait until the Provost Office advises when to process these so that all awards are distributed at the same time.

University award applications are due to the Provost’s Office January 16, 2026. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email Associate Provost Chris Flowers Hass or call him at 392-4792.

1. General procedures
   1. The Summer Research Award Program is designed to enhance the skills and productivity of the faculty participant.
   2. All recipients are required to report the results of their summer research to the supporting unit (with a copy to the Senior Associate Dean’s office) by the end of January of the next year.
   3. A written proposal must be submitted to the unit offering the support. The proposal must conform to the guidelines established by the WCB Faculty Research Committee or the offering unit. The guidelines and appropriate forms for college support are available below. The submission deadline date is March 2, 2026.
2. Source specific information and procedure: Submit proposals to the Senior Associate Dean’s office via email to Ainsley Thomas.
   1. Commitment Research Awards. Several faculty will receive summer support as a result of various commitments including hiring awards. A proposal is required for all Commitment Research Awards as well as a post-activity report.
   2. Competitive Research Awards. The College expects to offer a number of competitive research awards.  The number of awards, which depends on current budgetary outcomes and the number of qualified applicants, will be announced at the award date. Tenured, tenure track, and clinical faculty are eligible to apply. A proposal is required for all Competitive Research Awards as well as a post-activity report.
   3. Award Date and Amount: All awards will be paid in a lump sum in June. The exact date and award amount will be specified with the award notification.
   4. Notwithstanding the above requirements, research awards are not available to faculty members who will not be faculty members in the college for the academic year following the summer of the research award. If a research award payment is made and the faculty member subsequently ceases employment with the college before completing the academic year following the year of award receipt, such research award must be paid back to the College within three months of ceasing employment. If the employment cessation is caused by a short term leave of absence, a visiting position at another university, governmental, or business entity, or something of a similar nature, the faculty member may receive a summer award. However, if the faculty member does not return to the college faculty for the academic year following the return from the leave of absence, any research award must be paid back to the college within three months of the end of the leave of absence.  The college may waive this research award repayment requirement with the approval of the Dean.
   5. All award payments under this program are subject to the availability of college funding and subject to change without notice.