Faculty Awards

Four teaching awards are presented at University Commencement each May -- two for undergraduate teaching and two for graduate and professional teaching.

Undergraduate Teaching Awards

Suzanne and Stephen Weiss Presidential Fellows Awards, 2007-present

Through a generous gift in 2006 from Stephen Weiss, a Tulane parent and board member, and his wife, Suzanne Weiss, an endowed fund was established to create the Suzanne and Stephen Weiss Presidential Fellows Awards at Tulane. Because of the generosity of the Weiss family, two awards are presented to full-time faculty members to recognize excellence in undergraduate teaching, student advising and instructional improvement and development. All undergraduate students nominate candidates for the awards, with final selections made by a special faculty committee appointed by the president. In 2007, the first two Weiss Presidential Fellows were presented at University Commencement. The title of Suzanne and Stephen Weiss Presidential Fellow is held by a faculty member for the duration of their appointment at Tulane. In addition to the title, each awarded faculty member receives a medal and research funds of $5,000 a year for four years.

The recipient wears the medal on formal academic occasions such as commencement ceremonies or whenever academic costumes are worn. The design of the Weiss medallion was inspired by an architectural detail found on the southwestern dormer of Tilton Memorial Hall. Constructed in 1902, the hall originally was built to house the university library. Intricate stone carving and decoration embellish its façade.

Tulane President's Award for Undergraduate Teaching, 2000-2005

One award was given to a full-time faculty member who made a distinctive contribution to undergraduate teaching and who influenced and helped students beyond the formal role of teacher. The award was replaced with the creation of the Suzanne and Stephen Weiss Presidential Fellows Awards in 2007.
 

Graduate Teaching Awards

Tulane President's Awards for Excellence in Professional and Graduate Teaching, 2000-present

The President's Awards for Excellence in Professional and Graduate Teaching were established in the year 2000. Through 2005, one recipient was named each year. No award was given in 2006. Since 2007, two awards have been given to faculty members who have a sustained and compelling record of excellence in teaching and learning and an ongoing commitment to educational excellence. Graduate Teaching awardees each receive a one-time $5,000 cash award and a medallion designed by Professor Emeritus Franklin Adams.

The recipient wears the medal on formal academic occasions such as commencement ceremonies or whenever academic costumes are worn. The medal bears a stylized rendering of the shield that is an integral part of the university coat of arms. The grouping of three towers represents the arms of the city of Tours in France that was the home of the Tulane family for years. The crescents with flanking stars are from the arms of Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, who founded the city of New Orleans. The quartering of these two arms on the shield signify the identification of the university with the city. The Latin motto, Non Sibi Sed Suis, is translated as "not for one's self, but for one's own."