FCAT Excellence Awards

The Faculty of Communication, Art, and Technology (FCAT) contains an amazing set of faculty, staff, and alumni. The FCAT Excellence Awards were created to honour the hard work, dedication, and excellence that occurs across FCAT and beyond. The FCAT Research Excellence Awards were created in 2018 and FCAT Teaching, Staff, and Alumni awards followed in 2021 to further recognize the exemplary work done by current FCAT members and alumni.

Nomination process

1. Prepare your supporting documentation (see criteria for each award category).
2. Complete the online nomination survey and upload any supporting documentation by October 17^th, 2022.

Normally all awards are given out annually and ties may be considered. Award recipients will be notified two weeks prior to a Faculty-wide reception in early December.

The goal of the FCAT Teaching Awards is to recognize excellence in teaching and mentorship within the Faculty.  Nominees should be those who excel at creating and utilizing innovative pedagogical models of teaching, presenting complex information and topics clearly, stimulating students to think creatively and critically, and exemplifying collegiality, professionalism and interdisciplinary respect.    

• Early Career Teaching Award – this award recognizes a continuing or term faculty member (e.g., term lecturer, term assistant professor) who has excelled in teaching and has been at SFU for less than six years.
• Distinguished Teaching Award – this award recognizes a continuing faculty member who has excelled in teaching and has been at SFU for six or more years while teaching a diversity of courses with a sustained record of excellent teaching and educational leadership.
• Teaching Assistant or Tutor Marker Teaching Award – this award recognizes a teaching assistant or tutor marker who has excelled in their role during at least two terms throughout the past year.
  
• Sessional Instructor Award – this award recognizes a sessional instructor who has excelled in their role during at least two terms throughout the past year.
• Graduate Student Mentorship Award – this award recognizes a continuing faculty member who has excelled in mentorship of one or more graduate students over the past year or more. In this case mentors include:

  • research faculty supervision of graduate students

  • continuing faculty who conduct professional development training for graduate students (includes teaching faculty)

  • continuing faculty who support graduate student TA career development in preparation for Sessional appointments and Faculty job postings (includes teaching faculty)

Nominations can be made by one or more faculty members or graduate students or alumni graduate students from any school or program within FCAT.

Required nomination package includes:

• A nomination letter by one or more writers that introduces the candidate to the committee and illustrates why the candidate is deserving of the award in accordance with the criteria in the award description.  

  • The letter is the strongest part of the submission package. It must be 250-300 words including any links to external websites, SFU news stories, etc. 

  • Nomination writer’s are asked to focus on clear examples that highlight the candidate’s excellence and to avoid general statements about the candidate and their work. 

• Up to two pages of additional support information.  

Prizes: Award recipients who are SFU employees or faculty members will receive $1500 in funding to support professional development.

Adjudication committee: a committee will be chaired by the FCAT Associate Dean, Academic, and include UCC Chairs (or their designates) from each of FCAT’s schools and programs. 

Disclaimer: Teaching awards represent a contribution to teaching or mentorship by an FCAT member and are not considered a formal evaluation of teaching performance or effectiveness.