Guidelines for University Excellence Award Nominations and Submission Instructions

This set of awards is intended to recognize outstanding contributions to NJIT’s educational mission, the career development of faculty and lecturers, and NJIT’s impact on the broader community. These guidelines pertain to the following awards:

• Excellence in Instruction by Teaching Assistants
• Excellence in Lower Division Undergraduate Instruction
• Excellence in Upper Division Undergraduate Instruction
• Excellence in Graduate Instruction
• Excellence in Impact on Education by Non-Instructional Staff
• Excellence in Innovation in Education
• Excellence in Undergraduate Advising and Mentoring
• Excellence in Graduate Advising and Mentoring
• Excellence in Faculty Mentoring
• Excellence and Impact in Community Engagement
• NJIT Foundation Board of Directors Excellence in Service Award for Service Within the NJIT Community
• NJIT Foundation Board of Directors Excellence in Service Award for Service Beyond the NJIT Community
• Constance A. Murray Diversity Award
   

Nomination Process

Nominations for any of the awards listed above may be submitted by a Department Chair, a Dean, a Vice Provost, or a Vice President. In all cases, nomination packages are limited to 20 pages assembled by the nominator, consisting of the following materials:

• A CV for the award candidate of no more than 4 pages in length
• A letter of nomination from the nominator of no more than 3 pages in length
• Up to 4 additional support letters, each of no more than 2 pages in length
• Up to 5 additional pages of supporting material

All nomination packets should be compiled as a single PDF file and submitted via the Nexus of Excellence Awards Nomination Form on the Office of the Provost InfoReady site. All nominations for the academic year 2025-2026 are due by May 1, 2026. 
 

Award Descriptions

The Award for Excellence in Instruction by Teaching Assistants is given to up to three individuals who have demonstrated the highest level of impact and excellence while serving as a Teaching Assistant. Nominations are open to any individual enrolled in an NJIT graduate program who has served as a Teaching Assistant.

The Award for Excellence in Lower Division Undergraduate Instruction is given to up to three individuals who have demonstrated the highest level of impact and excellence in the teaching of lower-division undergraduate courses. Nominations are open to any individual (tenure-track/tenured faculty, lecturers, adjuncts, or staff) who has served as the instructor of record for any NJIT lower-division undergraduate course. 

The Award for Excellence in Upper Division Undergraduate Instruction is given to up to three individuals who have demonstrated the highest level of impact and excellence in the teaching of upper-division undergraduate courses. Nominations are open to any individual (tenure-track/tenured faculty, lecturers, adjuncts, or staff) who has served as the instructor of record for any NJIT upper-division undergraduate course. 

The Award for Excellence in Graduate Instruction is given to up to two individuals who have demonstrated the highest level of impact and excellence in the teaching of graduate courses. Nominations are open to any individual (tenure-track/tenured faculty, lecturers, adjuncts, or staff) who has served as the instructor of record for any NJIT graduate course. 

The Award for Excellence in Impact on Education by Non-Instructional Staff is given to up to two individuals who have made significant contributions to the educational mission of NJIT through their efforts outside of the classroom. Nominations are open to any member of the NJIT community whose full-time appointment lies outside of the faculty or instructional staff. 

The Award for Excellence in Innovation in Education is given to an individual or to a team of up to five individuals who have developed and implemented innovative approaches to education, resulting in a significant impact on student learning, broadly defined. Nominations are open to all members of the NJIT community. 

The Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advisement and Mentoring is given to up to two individuals who have demonstrated excellence in the advisement and mentoring of undergraduate students. Nominations are open to all members of the NJIT community. 

The Award for Excellence in Graduate Advisement and Mentoring is given to up to two individuals who have demonstrated excellence in the advisement and mentoring of graduate students. Nominations are open to all members of the graduate faculty. 

The Award for Excellence in Faculty Mentoring is given to up to two individuals who have demonstrated the highest level of commitment to supporting, encouraging, and promoting a positive and inclusive scholarly and teaching environment and who have contributed to the professional development of new faculty and/or lecturers within NJIT. Nominations are open to all tenure-track/tenured faculty and lecturers.

The Award for Excellence and Impact in Community Engagement is given to an individual or to a team of up to five individuals who have developed and implemented innovative and impactful community engagement initiatives. Nominations are open to all members of the NJIT community. 

NJIT Foundation Board of Directors Excellence in Service Award for Service Within the NJIT Community is given to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to NJIT through service that goes above and beyond what is normally expected. Nominations are open to all members of the NJIT community.

NJIT Foundation Board of Directors Excellence in Service Award for Service Beyond the NJIT Community is given to an individual who has elevated the stature and reputation of NJIT  as a leading polytechnic research university through sustained and exemplary internal and external service and leadership. Nominations are open to all members of the NJIT community.

The Constance A. Murray Diversity Award, dedicated to the memory of Constance A. Murray, who served as NJIT’s Dean of Student Services from 1978 until her death in 1994, is presented annually to individuals or groups within NJIT who have compiled a significant and sustained record of achievement in fostering diversity within the university community. Nominations are open to all members of the NJIT community. 
 

Additional Awards:

Guidelines for the Master Teacher Designation are available on the awards website here.
 

NJIT Foundation Board of Directors Excellence in Research Prize and Medal

This award is given annually to an individual whose record of research excellence is nationally and internationally recognized and whose career at NJIT spans a period of at least five years. The nomination and selection process for this award is administered by the Senior Vice Provost for Research. Please direct any questions on this award to Atam Dhawan at dhawan@njit.edu.
 

Questions 

Questions concerning the awards or any aspect of the process should be directed to Office.of.the.Provost@njit.edu.