On Friday, University of Nebraska President Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, announced that nominations are open for the President’s Excellence Awards.
The university’s most prestigious awards for teaching, research and engagement recognize individual faculty members and academic/administrative units whose work has had a significant impact on students, the university and the state.
“The President’s Excellence Awards give us an important opportunity to recognize and celebrate that work,” Dr. Gold said in an email to the university community. “These awards are the NU System’s highest honors for excellence in teaching, research, engagement and innovation. Nominations are now open, and I encourage you to nominate a colleague, department or team whose contributions represent the very best of our university.”
Individual recipients receive a $10,000 award, a presidential medallion and an engraved plaque. The departmental or team recipient receives $25,000 to support its instructional mission. Recipients are selected by panels of their peers and recognized at the summer meeting of the Board of Regents.
Nomination criteria and instructions are available on the President’s Excellence Awards webpage. All nominations are due by Jan. 8, 2027.
The awards are:
Faculty IP Innovation and Commercialization Award (FIPICA): Honors members of the University of Nebraska System faculty who have developed and nurtured new intellectual property from concept to licensing/startup business.
Outstanding Research and Creative Activity Award (ORCA): Honors members of the University of Nebraska System faculty who have conducted outstanding research or creative activity of national/international significance.
Outstanding Teaching and Instructional Creativity Award (OTICA): Honors members of the University of Nebraska System faculty who have developed meritorious and sustained records of excellence in teaching and creativity related to teaching.
Innovation, Development and Engagement Award (IDEA): Honors members of the University of Nebraska System faculty who have extended their academic expertise beyond the boundaries of the University in ways that have enriched the broader community.
Innovations in Student Success Award (ISSA): Honors a faculty-led team effort that has made a unique and significant contribution to improving undergraduate six-year graduation rates. This award honors specific and successful innovations designed to improve retention and graduation rates among students the unit serves in a major, within a school, within a college, or throughout a campus.
University-wide Departmental Teaching Award (UDTA): Honors a department/unit in the University of Nebraska System which has outstanding esprit de corps in its dedication to the education of students at the undergraduate, graduate or professional levels.
“The University of Nebraska System’s excellence is possible because of its people,” Dr. Gold said. “I am continually impressed by the talent, dedication and impact of our faculty and staff, and I am deeply grateful for all they do for our students, our university and our state. I hope you will help us recognize their contributions by nominating a deserving colleague or team for this year’s President’s Excellence Awards.”