Provost Award for Departmental Excellence in Faculty Mentoring

Purpose

The Annual Award for Departmental Excellence in Faculty Mentoring will be presented to the department or academic unit on campus that best demonstrates excellence in onboarding and mentoring of early-career and mid-career faculty, including tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty. The winning department will receive $10,000 and a trophy. The unit’s name will be placed on a university plaque housed in that department for a year. The Award is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Office for Faculty Affairs.

Eligibility

All academic tenure-home units are eligible to apply for the award. The winner will not be eligible for the following two academic years. Units may resubmit their application from previous years.

Selection Process

The seven-member selection committee, comprised of representatives from academic colleges and the Office of the Provost, will review the documents, assess how they reflect the two  general criteria detailed below, and choose one recipient of the Award. The committee will complete the selection process by March 15.

Criteria for Selection

Applications will be evaluated based on the following two overarching criteria. To be competitive, an application should provide one example of efforts/activities within each category below.

  1. How does your department demonstrate its sustained commitment to excellence in faculty mentoring?
  2. How does your department integrate mentoring into departmental culture?

Possible examples of each of the two criteria include:

  1. How does your department demonstrate its sustained commitment to excellence in faculty mentoring (examples)?  
    • Offers onboarding and mentoring opportunities for tenure-track faculty and non-tenure-track faculty.
    • Uses best onboarding and mentoring practices, including a team-based/committee-based approach,
    • Supports and encourages faculty participation in college-based and university-based mentoring programs (e.g., Peer Mentoring Circles,  Bridge Program).
    • Recognizes and/or incentivizes mentoring excellence.
    • Works with mentees to provide them with the best mentoring experiences by tailring experiences to the needs of mentees.
    • Demonstrates a commitment to providing mentors and mentees with the resources they need for a successful mentoring relationship.

     

  2. How does your department integrate mentoring into departmental culture (examples)?
    • Senior faculty help integrate new faculty into existing research clusters, centers, and interdisciplinary teams.Demonstrates involvement of the entire department—not just individual champions—in supporting a culture of mentoring.
    • Evidence that the department supports faculty beyond the early-career stage, including mid-career transitions, preparation for promotion to full professor.
    • Mentoring activities are recognized in annual review.
    • Uses structured mentoring programs (e.g., mentoring teams, peer circles, cross-disciplinary mentoring).
    • Faculty job ads and/or onboarding materials reference a strong departmental mentoring culture.

    • Faculty frequently co-author, co-teach, or collaborate on grants as a result of mentoring relationships.

Application Process

The proposal should include:

  • One-page executive summary
  • Maximum of eight pages (single-spaced, 12-point font) describing the department and address the at least one example from each of the general the criteria listed above.

Applications can be uploaded using the form below. Please upload materials in one pdf document by February 28, 2026. Please contact azajicek@uark.edu with questions.

Winning Departments

2023  Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Food and Life Sciences.

2024  University Libraries.