The Audrey Reynolds Distinguished Teaching Award was established through a generous gift from Professor Emerita Audrey Reynolds, linguistics. This annual $5,000 award is intended to recognize outstanding teaching by faculty members who have a record of success and to inspire other faculty, especially young and new faculty members, to strive for excellence in teaching. The recipient of the award shall be a tenured member of the Northeastern Illinois faculty who best demonstrates distinguished teaching.

Alumni are invited to submit nominations for the award. Nominators must submit a letter of nomination that summarizes the nominee's accomplishments as they pertain to the selection criteria and explain why the teacher deserves this award for teaching excellence over a sustained period of time. The letter should be no more than three pages.

Selection criteria
The award is given to a faculty member for outstanding teaching. The selection committee will consider the following factors in reaching its decision and may consider additional factors as it sees fit.

Factors to be considered include:

• evidence of student learning;
• a commitment to professional development activities exploring innovative teaching, techniques, etc.;
• recognition of the nominee's distinguished teaching by colleagues, students and alumni.

Eligibility

• Full-time, tenured members of the Northeastern Illinois faculty who are in their sixth year or more of service at the University and who typically carry what is defined as a full instructional load are eligible for nomination. The nominee must be planning to continue his or her employment at the University at least through the 2009-10 academic year.
• Any faculty member, administrator, student or alumnus/a may nominate any member of the Northeastern Illinois community who meets these eligibility criteria.
• Self-nominations are not considered.
• Previous winners are again eligible 10 years after winning the award.

Selection

• A committee will be appointed annually by the President. The committee will consist of two current members of the College of Arts and Sciences faculty; one current member of the College of Business and Management faculty; one current member of the College of Education faculty; one emeritus/a faculty; one alumnus/a; and one current student.
• The committee will screen the nominees and select three to five finalists for the award, unless no nominees meet the committee's standards. If no nominees meet the committee's standards, no award will be given in that year. Finalists' names will be made public, since in itself this is recognition of excellence.
• The selection committee will recommend an award recipient to the Provost, who will make a recommendation to the President. The President will appoint the distinguished professor.
• The award will be formally presented by the President at the December Commencement ceremony.
• Faculty members chosen as Distinguished Teaching Professors will carry that designation for life, duly noted in faculty listings in their academic department, the academic catalog, etc.