At James Madison University, we are proud to recognize the exceptional contributions of our faculty and staff through a variety of prestigious annual awards. We invite you to explore the nomination processes, learn about our esteemed award recipients, and join us in recognizing the remarkable achievements that enrich the lives of our students and community.
JMU Awards
The Distinguished Service Award was established to recognize a faculty member who provides exceptional professional-related service at the university, local and national levels. One faculty member from each college receives this award.
The Distinguished Teacher Award was established to honor faculty members annually for exemplary teaching. The James Madison University community strives to encourage excellence in the classroom and continues to make teaching a priority. Each year the university presents the award to one faculty member in each college.
James Madison University’s Division of Academic Affairs honors full-time instructional faculty with annual Faculty Endowment Awards that recognize excellence based on a variety of criteria. The purpose of these awards is to celebrate the significant contributions of faculty members in one or more of these areas: engaged learning, civic engagement, community engagement, ethical reasoning, student mentoring, research, scholarship, creativity, curriculum development, technology enhancement, and professional development initiatives.
These awards, ranging from $1000 to $12,500, are to be utilized within one academic year and are non-renewable. The funds may be used as a taxable salary supplement and/or for project support.
There are five Faculty Endowment Awards:
- Alger Family Faculty Endowment (More Information)
- A. Jerry Benson Faculty Engagement Award Endowment (More Information)
- Ford Faculty Support Endowment for Excellence in Teaching (More Information)
- Goodman Faculty Fellowship Endowment for Excellence in Teaching (More Information)
- Shirley Hanson Roberts (’56) and Richard D. Roberts Endowment for Faculty Excellence (More Information)
In each college, professors nominate their colleagues for the Madison Scholar award. The award winners exemplify excellence and scholarly achievement in their respective disciplines. Winners present a lecture on their area of expertise during the academic year. Faculty who have served in their colleges at the rank of assistant professor or above for at least five years are eligible for this award. Each year the university presents the award to one faculty member in each college.
The Mengebier Professorship is an endowed professorship established in memory of the Rev. Dr. William L. Mengebier by the Class of 1958. Rev. Dr. Mengebier had a profound impact on the lives of thousands of Madison students during his academic career, and the professorship was established to be supportive of each college at James Madison University in a rotational basis as the Class of 1958 recognized the important role of each college’s faculty in the Madison experience.
View additional information about the Mengebier Professorship
The Provost Awards for Excellence are presented each year to faculty and staff who have made extraordinary contributions to the university in a variety of areas. Recipients will receive an honorarium and will be recognized at the Academic Affairs Awards and Retirement Recognition event in the spring.
View additional information about the Provost Award for Excellence
Inaugurated in spring 2019, the award is in recognition of an individual who has made distinguished career contributions to inclusion, diversity, and multicultural access in Academic Affairs.
View the recipients of the Provost's Distinguished Career Award for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
External Awards
James Madison University cultivates stellar talent through a variety of initiatives, including nominations to the Outstanding Faculty Awards (OFA) for the Commonwealth of Virginia. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) administers these state-wide awards and describes them as follows:
The Outstanding Faculty Awards are the Commonwealth's highest honor for faculty at Virginia's public and private colleges and universities. These awards recognize superior accomplishments in teaching, research, and public service.
