Award Support & FAQ

What is a major external award?

Major external awards are those at the highest level of recognition in the United States and internationally. Examples of major external awards include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Noble Prizes
• American Academy of Arts and Sciences Member
• National Academy of Science Member
• National Academy of Engineering Member
• National Academy of Medicine Member
• American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow
• Fellow status in large professional societies
• Highly prestigious international awards

Can a faculty member at Ohio State nominate another faculty member at the university for membership into the National Academies?

No.

Who can nominate someone to any of the National Academies? 

Only academy members can lead and submit a nomination. In some cases, non-members can provide supporting letters. 

If you think a deserving colleague should be nominated to one of the national academies, you can contact a prospective nominator who is a member and ask if they would be willing to lead the nomination. 

The Office of Academic Affairs can help with identifying potential nominators and letter writers.

How do I find Academy members at Ohio State who can provide insight into how the nomination process works?

Academy members at Ohio State are listed here and are discoverable on each of the Academy websites. 

Who can nominate someone for Fellow status in a large professional society?

Typically, only members of a society can lead a nomination. Often, non-members can provide supporting letters. 

To nominate a deserving colleague for Fellow status in a society in which you are not a member, you can contact a prospective nominator who is a member and ask if they would be willing to lead the nomination. 

The Office of Academic Affairs can help with identifying potential nominators and letter writers.

Can a faculty member at Ohio State nominate another faculty member at the university for Fellow status in a major professional organization?

Yes.

How do I find faculty at Ohio State who are members of a professional society?

You can find a list of all Fellows within a professional society on that society’s webpage. 

Who do I contact in the Office of Academic Affairs for assistance with major external awards?

Contact facultyaffairs@osu.edu. 

What kind of support does the Office of Academic Affairs provide to units for major external award nominators and coordinators?

• OAA can identify which faculty may be competitive for major external awards.
• OAA can query databases to identify potential nominators and/or letter writers to support a nomination.

Who coordinates multiple nominations?

Ideally, awards committee chairs and unit leads coordinate nominations within their unit. Major award nominations can be reported to the Office of Academic Affairs to ensure that there are no conflicting nominations across the university.

Are there systems in place to track nominations for major external awards from Ohio State?

No. But please let the Office of Academic Affairs know if you are coordinating the nomination or leading the nomination of an Ohio State faculty member for a major external award so that we can best support that effort and provide resources.

What is a limited submission award?

Limited submission awards are ones where only a limited number of applications can be submitted from each university. In these cases, an Ohio State internal competition is held prior to the deadline to select the proposals for that limited submission cycle. This process is repeated each time there is a limited submission. Examples of limited submission awards are listed here.

Where are limited submission applications submitted?

Limited submission applications are submitted to the Office of Foundation Relations. Luiza Newlin-Lukowicz, executive director of foundation relations, can be contacted for additional information.

Where do I find a list of limited submission award opportunities?

A list of highly desirable limited submission opportunities is given here.

Lists of all limited submission opportunities are posted here and here.

Is there a centralized university repository where faculty can deposit their CVs for consideration for award nominations?

No. CVs are archived at the unit level.

How can faculty increase their online visibility?

The unit website is the first place prospective nominators will go to seek additional information about a potential nominee. 

Faculty can increase the probability of being identified as a potential nominee by including a list of their awards, listing a selection of high-impact publications on their unit’s website (under the People tab), and maintaining an updated CV on their personal website. 

All faculty can edit their own People page by clicking the “LOGIN” button in the bottom right corner of their page. See this tutorial for additional details on how to edit your People page.

How do we identify potential award nominees in our unit?

This is highly discipline-specific and should be part of the unit-level mentorship plan for every faculty member at every stage of their career. 

An awards pathway that includes early, mid-, and late-career award targets can help ensure the successful recognition of faculty.

Faculty already holding awards can play a key role in nominating and supporting their colleagues for the same awards.

What about regional campus faculty?

Regional campus faculty who are members of TIUs on the Columbus campus should be nominated for awards by their TIU.

Regional campus-associated faculty should be nominated for awards by their regional campus dean.