Faculty Awards
The Faculty Award winners for 2026 are, clockwise from top left: Ronna Turner, Vicki Collet, Julie Hill, Christine Holyfield, Jessica Danley, Abigail Schmitt, Elizabeth Lorah, Josh McGee, Sheida Raley and Hope Ballentine.
Submissions for 2027 Will Open in January
Deadline, category details etc. will be available then; please check back.
Each category page linked below details criteria with a downloadable cover sheet as well as the list of previous winners. Please email comments or questions to cs098@uark.edu, which also is where nomination packets — completed cover sheet and supporting letter — are to be sent.
Annually, we recognize outstanding faculty for their contributions in teaching, research and service to the college and the University of Arkansas, facilitated by the Faculty Council. Our 2026 awards recap lists winners and other information.
We encourage our community to nominate colleagues who exemplify exceptional dedication and achievement in their fields. Help us honor the continued excellence within our faculty by submitting your nominations. The awards include:
Faculty Career
This award recognizes a faculty member with a long-standing record of outstanding performance based on the impact made on the university and national recognition in their discipline.
George Denny STAR
This award recognizes a faculty member for achieving balance by exhibiting outstanding performance during the past year in service, teaching, mentoring/advising AND research.
Rising STAR
This award recognizes and rewards a new and junior faculty member for outstanding performance in at least two of these areas: research, teaching, service and mentoring/advising.
Impactful Scholarship
This award recognizes a faculty member for the single most important research endeavor completed within a two-year period of the current term. This award prior to 2023 was titled "Significant Research.”
Outstanding Teaching
Nominees are evaluated based on an outstanding — in creativity and effectiveness — teaching technique, strategy, method or assignment implemented within the past year.
Outstanding Mentoring and Advising
Nominees are evaluated based on their accomplishments for mentoring/advising students within the past year in their professional development and in their degree seeking, course progression or specialty selection.
Superior Service
Nominees are evaluated based on a balance of their accomplishments for service within the past year to the college and university, the profession and field, and to the community.
Empowerment
This award recognizes and rewards a faculty member for exhibiting outstanding performance and excellence in empowering all students, faculty, staff and communities through their work.