A. Purpose of the Honorary Award Program

• The Distinguished University Scholar (DUS) award recognizes the outstanding research and/or creative activity of eligible Florida State University faculty (refer to section C. Eligibility for a list of applicable job codes).
• Recipients of this award have long-standing track records of research and/or creative activity at FSU and occupy more senior levels in their respective positions.
• Departments and/or Centers are encouraged to nominate only one candidate for this award. If multiple candidates are nominated, the Chair, Director, or Dean will be contacted to rank order their candidates (no ties) for reviewers.  

B. Award Information

• Recipients receive a one-time award of $10,000, less applicable taxes, by direct deposit.
• Awardees will be recognized at the annual Faculty Awards Dinner, which is generally scheduled in the late Spring.
• Recipients of this award are entitled to use the title "Distinguished University Scholar" throughout their subsequent employment at FSU or until that title is surpassed through the receipt of a higher university-recognized award.

C. Eligibility

• Candidates should be in an eligible position as of August 2023 and:
  • Have at least five years in an allowable job title which is either E&G or C&G funded
  • Be actively engaged in research and/or scholarly activity
  • Have achieved noteworthy accomplishments.
    
    
• Below are the allowable job titles for the DUS award:
  • 90829S Research Faculty III 9 Mo SAL
  • 9082AS Research Faculty III 12 Mo SAL
  • 9150AS Curator 12 Mo SAL
  • 91609S Scholar/Scientist 9 Mo SAL
  • 9160AS Scholar/Scientist 12 Mo SAL
  • 91659S Senior Research Associate 9 Mo SAL
  • 9165AS Senior Research Associate 12 Mo SAL
  • 91669S Research Associate 9 Mo SAL
  • 9166AS Research Associate 12 Mo SAL
  • 90629S Teaching Faculty III 9 Mo SAL
  • 9062AS Teaching Faculty III 12 Mo SAL

D. Important Dates for the 2024 - 2025 Round

• Nomination Deadline: Thursday, December 19, 2024 @ 4:59 pm
• Award Notification: Mid April 2025
• Award Period: Lifetime

E. Selection Criteria

• It is preferred that Departments or Centers nominate at most one candidate for this award. If a Department or Center does choose to nominate multiple candidates, then they must be rank-ordered by the nominating Department/Center, with no ties (so that such candidates are ranked by those who have the best knowledge of their work).
• Candidates will have made a significant impact on the ongoing research/scholarship and/or graduate student training in their respective unit.
• There should be evidence of the following:
  • Candidate's outstanding scholarly productivity and/or creative activity
  • Recognition and honors related to research and/or creative activity
  • National and international visibility in endeavors that emphasize research and/or creative activities.
• Not to be included among the selection criteria are such factors as sex, race, field of specialization, Department, School or College, outside activities, previous accomplishments in other fields or positions, whether or not the candidate is applying for other campus awards (i.e. Seed grant, sabbatical), and whether other members from the same Department or Center have been selected for awards during the year or in the past.

F. Nomination Preparation Instructions

IMPORTANT: Nominators must initiate the electronic nomination binders on behalf of the nominee. The only exceptions are for self-nominations. Once the nomination has been created, additional editors (including the nominee) can be added to assist with uploading the necessary information.

• Only a PDF version of each document will be accepted.
• Go to Section G. Nomination Submission Process for instructions on how to apply.
• Below are the required sub-sections for each candidate:

Letter of Nomination

• A letter of nomination, addressed to the DUS Review Committee, from an FSU faculty member (who may be the nominee — self-nominations are acceptable) or an FSU administrator addressing the selection criteria (Section E).
• Departments or Centers are encouraged to nominate only one candidate for this award. If multiple candidates are nominated, the Chair or Dean/Director will be contacted to rank order their candidates (no ties) for reviewers.
• If someone other than the nominee is the nomination letter author, the author must include their CV (2 page maximum).

Internal Letters of Endorsement

• Internal letters of endorsement, addressed the DUS Review Committee, are required from the Departmental Chair or Director (if applicable) and Dean.
• Submission will not be accepted without both letters, where applicable.

External Letters of Endorsement

• No more than three external letters of recommendation from established scholars with a direct relationship to or knowledge of the nominee are allowed. The external letters of recommendation must have been written no earlier than 24 months prior to the application deadline, as verified by the dates that appear on them (which are required).
• These letters must include a separate single-paragraph statement on the qualifications of the letter authors, as well as a brief 2-page CV from the letter authors.

Curriculum Vitae

• The nominee's vitae should be current, concise, and complete.
• If a list of the nominee's pertinent achievements, awards, or accomplishments in the field of expertise is lengthy, the nominee should set up a web link to this data and reference it at the end of the vitae.

G. Nomination Submission Process

• Go to the InfoReady Submission Portal.
• The nominator will need to log in using their FSU username and password.

H. Nomination Review Process

• The DUS Review Committee consists of selected CRC members and previous DUS awardees.  
• Reviewers will use the Distinguished University Scholar (DUS) Reviewer Guidelines for scoring the nomination.
• The Review Committee will recommend the finalists to the Vice President for Research and the University President based on the funding allocated to the program and merit scores of each nomination.
• The Vice President for Research and the University President will make the final decisions regarding the award recipients.