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A Finding Aid for the Distinguished Teacher Award Committee Records 1961-2004

Collection Summary

Collection Title: Distinguished Teacher Award Committee Records

Creator: Ferris State University. Distinguished Teacher Award Committee.

Dates: 1961-2004

Abstract: The Distinguished Teacher Award Committee annually recommends names of faculty members to be the Distinguished Teacher of the Year. This is in support of Ferris' emphasis on instruction. The records in the collection consist of correspondence, minutes and publicity.

Language: English

Quantity: 0.4 cubic feet; 1 Hollinger box

Identification: UA 31.4.5

Repository: Ferris State University Archives and Records Management Program

Historical Note

On 6 February 1962, the Faculty Awards Study Committee submitted a proposal to the Representative Faculty Advisory Council to create an award for dedicated teaching. The study committee was chaired by Guy H. Lagroe, who was also the chair of the Representative Faculty Advisory Council. The original proposal called for three concurrent selection committees with a representative proportion based on tenure and full-time teaching responsibilities. Candidates were evaluated over a three year period. Any teaching member was eligible for membership on a committee or to be nominated for the award, but not at the same time. Once a faculty member received the teaching award, they were no longer eligible for nomination.

With some minor modifications, the award was approved by President Victor Spathelf and by the Board of Control. The first award was given to Ralph E. Pattullo, from the Specialized Education division, in 1963. A grant of $500 accompanied the annual award. The monetary grant caused some confusion over the first decade of the award, as it was not always used, nor was it clear exactly what were considered appropriate uses of the money. In the early years, formulating specific procedures occupied some of the committee's time. During the 1969-1971 time period, the Vice-President for Instruction incorporated the faculty award program into college policy statements.

In 1980, Sam Peticolas chaired a committee which examined the structure of the committee. The committee surveyed faculty, examined past committee practices and redesigned the procedures and qualifications. Representation for the committee is currently based on college representation rather than years of service. It is still one of several Academic Senate committees. There is only one committee at a time, and they can recommend up to two names for the award in a year. The process involves not only a nomination form, but also an interview and an observation of classroom teaching. The committee recommendations are forwarded jointly to the president of the university and the president of the senate. Usually, the awards are announced at the employee service awards ceremony in the spring.

Chairs of the Distinguished Teacher Award Committee

Year Chair
1962-1963 Guy Lagroe
1963-1964 Norman G. Peterson
1964-1965 Unknown
1966-1967 Robert Kirchner
1967-1968 Lowell Chapman
1968-1969 Albert Peets
1969-1970 Richard Malisewski
1970-1971 Raymond Ebmeier
1971-1972 Fridolf Johnson
1972-1973 Lennell M. Slaten
1973-1974 Ronald M. Jacoby
1974-1975 Charles L. Christensen
1975-1976 Julia M. Malloy
1976-1977 Harold L. Hankes
1977-1978 James L. Carey
1978-1979 Michael P. Keating
1979-1980 Paul D. Hoeksema
1980-1981 William D. Barnes
1981-1982 Adnan Dakkuri
1982-1983 Lucy Stewart
1983-1984 Richard L. Shaw
1984-1985 Rose Ann Swartz
1985-1986 Mark Pletz
1986-1987 James L. Carey
1987-1988 Roxanne Cullen
1989-1990 Deborah Stai
1990-1991 Gloria Paker
1991-1992 Walter J. Short
1992-1993 William J. Papo
1993-1995 Graham Glynn
1995-1996 Graham Glynn and Marilyn Keigley
1996-1997 Patti Russell and Natalie Kupfberg
1997-1998 Michael Ropele and Ron Tuuri
1998-1999 Gregg Potter and J. Randall Vance
1999-2001 J. Randall Vance
2001-2002 Rebecca Kowalkowski
2002-2003 Unknown
2003-2004 Karen Norman
2004-2007 Abdi Ferdowsi
2006-2007 Pasquale DiRaddo
2007-2008 Michael Keating
2008-2009 Adnan Dakkuri

Scope and Content Note

The Distinguished Teacher Award Committee (originally called the Committee on Faculty Awards) emphasizes Ferris State University's long tradition of priding itself as a teaching institution, rather than research. This award is the oldest consecutive award that exists within the institution.

The records are arranged in a single series. Within the chronological files are the basic records of the committee by year- correspondence, publicity and minutes when available. For some years, the only records are the publicity notices sent out to faculty seeking nominations. An example of a year with very detailed records about how the process was carried out is 1974-1975, with chair C. L. Christensen. Ca. 1981, the current chair decided to put together a Chairman's Notebook, with sample materials from past years. This gives a more general view of what types of activities different chairman chose to use in promoting the awards (Materials in this notebook also come primarily from the 1970s). Also included within the collection is a folder relating to committee procedures, and a folder relating to recipients. The recipient folder includes names of recipients, some sample correspondence, and copies of certificates passed out to them. The list of past recipients 1963-1984 was compiled as part of the centennial celebrations.

Arrangement

The papers are in a single series.

Access Information

Conditions of Access

The Distinguished Teacher Award Committee Records are open for research to all users in accordance with University Archives and Records Management access policies. It is available in the reading room of the Ferris State University Archives.

Conditions of Use

Requests for permission to publish material should be directed to the University Archivist. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.

Copyright interests for this collection have been transferred to Ferris State University. For more information, contact the University Archivist.

Subject Headings

Below are a list of names, organizations and subjects relating to the collection. Names have been taken from Library of Congress Authority headings whenever possible.

Related Materials

None specified.

Administrative Information

Citations

Footnotes and bibliographic references should use the following format:
[Item], Folder, Box. Distinguished Teacher Committee Records. Ferris State University Archives. Big Rapids, Michigan.

Provenance (Acquisition Information)

These records were donated in several segments. Segments were donated by both Glendon Hynes, a former Representative Faculty Advisory Council official in 1991 and by Adnan Dakkuri in 1996. Other materials were donated prior to September 2002 by unknown donors.

Processing Information

The Distinguished Teacher Award Committee Records were processed to the folder level by Melinda McMartin Isler in June 2006. A finding aid was prepared in a word processing format and converted to EAD 1.0. A collection level MARC-21 record was prepared and placed in the library online public access catalog. Description based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (Chicago: Society of American Archivists, 2004).

Separated Materials

The majority of this collection were taken out of the Representative Faculty Advisory Council Records. Any duplicate material was removed from the collection.

Technical Requirements

This collection consists of typed and handwritten papers. There is no specialized software required for viewing.

Content Listing

Series 1. Subject Records. 1961-2004.

The majority of these files consists of a chronological file which contains a mixture of correspondence, publicity and meeting minutes. There is also a recipient list compiled in the early 1980s which contains some old copies of certificates and a chairman's notebook compiled ca. 1981. As new publicity mailings are sent out, they are added to the collection.

These records are arranged alphabetically by subject title. Within titles, files are arranged chronologically.

Box Folder Contents
1 1 Chairman's notebook. ca. 1982.
1 2 Chronological files. January 1961- December 1965.
1 3 Chronological files. January 1976-January 1980.
1 4 Chronological files. February 1980-June 1983.
1 5 Chronological files. July 1983-December 1986.
1 6 Chronological files. January 1987-December 2004.
1 7 Forms. Undated.
1 8 Procedures. 1972-1980; undated.
1 9 Recipient list. 1963-1984.