CLASS Distinguished Faculty Award

Purpose of the Award

This award recognizes senior faculty for a national and internationally known innovative and transformative body of scholarship/creative works, coupled with the strong promise of continuing excellence. Candidates for this award must have achieved preeminence in their field. This is a one-time award to honor stellar scholarly production in the areas of research, scholarship or creative contributions.

Award Description

• Up to 3 faculty are recognized annually: 2 faculty in the humanities discipline and 1 in the social sciences discipline
• Award: $10,000 one-time award

Eligibility Requirements

• Eligibility: Associate/Full Professors preferred

Nomination Requirements

• Nominations must be made by the department chair.
• Chairs may submit only one nominee and are strongly encouraged to put forth the strongest candidate.

Nomination Materials and Submission Procedure

• Compile the following nomination materials in the order listed below into a single PDF application file:

1. Chair’s nomination letter (≤4 pages) to include:
   1. Nominee name, rank and date of faculty appointment at UH
   2. Summary of nominee’s qualifications, as well as specific examples; evidence will vary by discipline but may include publications, performances, inventions, etc. since promotion to associate or full professor.
   3. Other recognition of nominee, especially by disciplinary organizations and external agencies, should be highlighted.
   4. Clear explanations of how the nominee’s accomplishments represent a standard of excellence for this award
2. Nominee’s curriculum vitae
   1. Submit with nominee's application packet. See application form for instructions.

CLASS Submission Deadline:

• February 1

Evaluation and Selection Process

A multidisciplinary committee of senior faculty will review the nomination packages. The following items will be evaluated and rated based on persuasiveness of arguments for merit and evidence of the nominee’s outstanding accomplishments:

• Nomination letter
• CV

Announcement of Award Recipients

The Dean will publicly announce the award recipients and present the award at the CLASS Fall Faculty Meeting and the Spring Faculty Meeting.

Timeline

If you have any questions, please contact Associate Professor Sally Connolly: sconnoll@central.uh.edu

Download Application

CLASS Dean’s Administrative Internship Program

We invite applications for the CLASS Dean’s Administrative Internship program.

This new initiative is designed to mentor CLASS faculty at the associate professor rank interested in administrative roles through a year-long internship in the CLASS Dean’s Office. Successful candidates will be granted a reduced service load at other levels, with details to be determined through discussions between the dean, the candidate and the candidate’s department chair. Some previous administrative experience at the departmental level (Director of Graduate Studies, Director of Undergraduate Studies, etc.) is expected from applicants.

Successful applicants will undergo practical training, gaining insight into several college-level committees (for example, the executive committee, the undergraduate studies committee and the scholarship committee) and attend a budget education session. In the second semester, each intern will be given a substantial college level task to administer, such as coordinating an internship program, administering an award or organizing a major event. A report on this experience will be required by the last day of class, and the Dean’s Office will award a certificate of completion.

Please send a cover letter explaining your interest in college-level administration as well as a current cv to Sally Connolly, Associate Dean for Student and Faculty Success (sconnolly@uh.edu) by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 27th 2022. There will be in-person interviews for candidates that proceed to the second round, and a final determination will be made over the summer session so that successful candidates can take up their internship in the fall of 2022.

Professional Development Award for Staff

This award is for CLASS staff to attend conferences or workshops in his or her field for professional development purposes. The intent is to defray costs associated with conference travel, lodging and meals. Staff must submit "proof of participation" to the department chair and to Dean Tillis. The maximum amount of the award is $2,000 per staff member. Award recipients may apply again after three years.

Professional Development Award for Staff Grant Schedule:

Earliest Submission Date: August 1st

Applications Due: October 1st

Notification of Awards: November 1st

DOWNLOAD APPLICATION

Mladenka-Fowler Scholarship

The Beatrice Mladenka-Fowler and Jesse C. Fowler Endowed Scholarship is awarded on a rolling basis to CLASS students. Please read the scholarship criteria and donor story below before filling out the application.

MLADENKA-FOWLER SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION

Criteria

This is a need-based scholarship with preference given to first-generation CLASS students. In addition to providing the information on the application form, the applicant must submit a short statement about their unanticipated financial need and educational goals. The scholarship recipient may accept other scholarships and grants in conjunction with this scholarship up to the cost of attendance, which includes tuition, fees, books, room and board, transportation and personal expenses. The scholarship award is renewable, provided the recipient continues to meet the criteria.

Donor Story

Beatrice and Jesse grew up on farms in Texas and met while attending college at The University of Texas at Austin in the early 1970s. Both received financial help from government loans, scholarships and grants, without which it would have been very difficult to attend. After moving to Houston, Jesse initially worked as a geologist for Houston companies and then started an oil and gas exploration partnership with other geologists. Beatrice taught school, obtained two post-graduate degrees at the University of Houston and practiced law. Jesse and Beatrice are both avid readers and love to travel to new places. 

CLASS Dean’s Student Developmental Award

The Dean’s Student Developmental Award is designed to provide CLASS full time graduate and undergraduate studies cocurricular and experiential learning opportunities that enhance their educational experience. The Dean’s Student Developmental Award is competitive, and resources are limited. The total number and dollar amount of awards provided in any award cycle will depend on the total number and competitiveness of the applications received. Preference will be given to those who have not received a Developmental Award in the previous 12 months.

For CLASS undergraduates students an award up to $1,500 may be made to support (a) study abroad or (b) unfunded internship opportunities (the award will not supplement paid internships). In the case of both proof of acceptance into a study abroad program or internship will be required before funds will be disbursed.

For CLASS graduate students an award up to $800 may be made to support the cost of presenting original research at a conference. This may be a paper or a research poster. The paper must not have been previously presented or published. The conference must have a competitive submissions process. Eligible travel expenses include registration fees, airfare, ground transportation, lodging and meals. Only the most economical fares are eligible for reimbursement under this program. Funds are not to be allocated to attend special meetings, Festschrifts, meetings of special interest groups, etc. Funds will not be allocated for travel to participate in non-peer-reviewed roles as a panelist, session chair or proposal reviewer, even if by invitation.

Undergraduate Application

Graduate Application

Application Process and Deadlines

Applicants must complete the application electronically and upload a resume and letter of support from their department chair (graduate students can submit a letter from their Director of Graduate Studies instead should they wish) at the link provided.

Students may submit applications for funding of travel that has already occurred or will occur as long as the deadline is met. October 29, 2021 for travel between September 1, 2021 and February 28, 2022. January 29, 2022 for travel between March 1, 2022 and May 31, 2022. April 30, 2022 for travel between June 1, 2022 and August 31, 2022. Students may apply for the award repeatedly but may only receive one Dean’s Student Developmental Award per academic year.

Graduate students applying for conference funding should attach the selection process from the “call for proposals” if available. The acceptance confirmation must be in English or translated. If you have not received an acceptance confirmation from the venue by the submittal deadline, please submit application. Send the letter of acceptance as soon as it is received. Applicants will be notified approximately three weeks after each respective deadline. Once an application has been approved, no substitutions will be allowed; if an individual wishes to use the program’s funds to support a presentation other than the one for which the original application was submitted, he or she must submit an entirely new application prior to the application deadline. Successful applicants will submit a 500-word online report on their activities within 30 days of the completion of the experience.

Please contact Sally Connolly, Ph.D. at  sconnolly@uh.edu with any questions.