International Educator of the Year Awards

The UF International Center is pleased to invite nominations for the 2024 International Educator of the Year Awards. These awards are made annually in recognition of the outstanding contributions of faculty and staff to the internationalization of the University of Florida. As in years past, three awards will be made: 

  • Senior Faculty International Educator of the Year
  • Junior Faculty International Educator of the Year
  • Staff International Educator of the Year

Nomination Process

Senior and Junior Faculty nominations

All UF colleges, area study centers, museums and libraries are invited to submit nominations for the Senior and Junior Faculty International Educator awards.

All UF colleges are eligible to nominate one faculty member for each award category; CALS, CLAS and the College of Medicine may nominate up to two faculty members for each award.

Each college is free to develop its own review process for selecting nominees. Nominations from each college must include an endorsement by the nominee's department chair, director or college dean. 

For the purposes of this award, junior faculty nominees should be no more than five years post-tenure or no more than ten years into their academic career (for non-tenure track faculty). Senior faculty nominees should be individuals who have held tenure for more than five years or who have been in their academic career for more than ten years (for non-tenure track faculty).

Staff nominations

All UF colleges, as well as other relevant units (libraries, museums, centers) may make nominations for their staff award.

CALS, CLAS and the College of Medicine may nominate up to two staff members.

Staff nominations must include an endorsement by the nominee’s supervisor and department chair, director or dean.

All nominations

Colleges may re-nominate individuals who were previous college nominees for the campus-wide award at all levels.

Nominations should include: 

  1. Cover page with the full name, title, position, and college/unit of the nominee
  2. A 1-2 page personal statement by the nominee describing international engagements and contributions to the internationalization of UF. Please limit this statement to two pages and do not include a CV, resume, or other extensive materials in the nomination packet.
  3. One letter of endorsement or nomination from the nominee’s chair, director, dean, or unit supervisor. 
  4. Two letters of support, each no more than two pages, from supervisors, colleagues, and/or students.
  5. A high-resolution photo of the nominee, preferably one representing their work as an international educator (e.g. in the classroom or the field).

All nominations must be received by Friday, October 11th at 4PM. 

The appropriate college representative must send nominations via email as electronic attachments to the UFIC Office for Global Research Engagement at: OGRE@ufic.ufl.edu

Criteria and Selection of Winners:  

A committee appointed by the Dean of the UF International Center will select the winners for each of the awards. The award committee will consider nominations in light of international educational contributions of the faculty or staff member and the impact of those contributions on students, international partners, university stakeholders, and/or the nominee's discipline. We are particularly interested in accomplishments within the past five years and which demonstrate a strong commitment to international education. 

The awards committee will look for excellence in keeping with the nominee’s position and duties. This might include: the extent to which the nominee’s teaching has significantly contributed to student learning and engagement with international issues; the extent to which the nominee’s research has made a significant and recognized contribution to knowledge about international issues or has been carried out in collaboration with international partners; or the extent to which the nominee’s efforts have contributed substantially to support of UF’s global engagement. 

Presentation of Awards:

The awards will be presented at a reception at the Keene Faculty Center on Monday, November 18, 2024 during International Education Week. All College nominees will be recognized, and the campus winner in each category will receive a plaque and $1,000. 

For more information, contact Terrence Funke at tfunke@ufic.ufl.edu.