Dear Unit Award Chairs,
As autumn settles in, many of the university's faculty recognition activities are moving from planning to action. Several internal award deadlines happen this month, external nomination cycles continue to open, and departments across Ohio State are identifying faculty whose accomplishments merit broader recognition. This month's bulletin highlights several upcoming opportunities, resources to support thoughtful nomination strategies, and information from across the faculty recognition landscape. We also encourage units to think beyond immediate deadlines and consider the longer-term pathways, professional visibility and strategic engagement that help position faculty for future honors and recognition.
Updates
Follow-Up to the Fall 2026 Unit Awards Chair Meeting
Thank you to all who were able to participate in the unit awards chairs meeting on Ot. 7, and a special thanks to those who shared during the meeting about honorifics processes taking place in your units. If you were unable to attend and would like a video recording of the meeting, please reach out to Travis at sheffler.5@osu.edu.
Recognition Landscape Update: Evaluating Academic Honors Carefully
A recent investigative report in Nature examined a network of organizations that have been marketing memberships, fellowships and academy elections while misrepresenting their histories, leadership, affiliations and selection processes. The article serves as an important reminder that not all honors, academies, or scientific societies carry the same level of legitimacy or scholarly recognition. As faculty members increasingly receive unsolicited invitations for memberships, fellowships and awards, it is important to carefully evaluate an organization's reputation, governance, selection process, membership and standing within the discipline before pursuing or accepting recognition.
Upcoming Events
Reminder: Faculty Pathways Program on October 21: Faculty Honorifics and Planning for Recognition
Wednesday, Oct. 21, 12:45 – 1:45 p.m.
External recognition rarely happens by accident. This Faculty Pathways Program introduces faculty to the long-term strategies that position careers for prestigious awards, fellowships, and academy honors. Designed especially for assistant and associate professors, the session will explore how honorifics work, what selection committees value, and how recognition typically unfolds over the course of an academic career. The program emphasizes early, intentional planning to help faculty build a strong foundation for future recognition well before they are formally nominated for awards. Faculty can register for 2026-27 Faculty Pathways programs on the Faculty Pathways website.
Upcoming External Award Deadlines
National Academy of Inventors Senior Membership
- NAI is accepting Senior Member nominations between October and December.
- At a minimum, candidates must demonstrate a high degree of innovation by holding one issued U.S. patent and must be in professional practice or research in their current field for at least five years.
- Self-nominations are allowed, although a university nomination letter will be needed. It is recommended that the letter comes from a current NAI Fellow or senior member, or from a senior leader at the university.
- If someone is an accomplished academic inventor who is established enough to have demonstrated real innovation, but who is still in the “rising star” stage of their career rather than at the pinnacle represented by “NAI Fellow”, please have them reach out to Travis Sheffler (sheffler.5@osu.edu) if they are interested in learning more about the nomination process for the NAI Senior Member program.
Samsung Ho-Am Prize
- Nomination deadline: Oct. 31, 2026
- The Ho-Am Foundation recently contacted the President’s Office regarding the call for nominations for the Ho-Am Prize in the following categories: physics and mathematics, chemistry and life sciences, engineering and medicine.
- To be eligible for nomination, individuals must be Korean citizens or people of Korean heritage.
- For more information on the eligibility and selection criteria, as well as the nomination process, and nomination form please visit the Ho-Am Foundation website.
- Nominations may be submitted either via email or through the online nomination system.
American Educational Research Association (AERA) Fellows Program
- Nomination deadline: Dec. 1, 2026
- Nominees will be considered only after at least 12 years of postdoctoral contribution and status as a full professor or the equivalent.
- Nominations require a nomination letter and two letters of endorsement.
- All nominees, nominators and endorsers must be current AERA members at the time of nomination. And, although nominators and endorsers may be from the same institution as a nominee, each nomination is encouraged to have nominators and endorsers from a range of institutions.
- Important Links:
The Rome Prize
- Early application deadline: Nov. 1. Applications will also be accepted between Nov. 2 and 15 for an additional fee. The deadline for letters of recommendation is Nov. 30.
- The American Academy in Rome awards the Rome Prize to support innovative and cross-disciplinary work in the arts and humanities. Each year, the Rome Prize is given to about thirty artists and scholars.
- Each Rome Prize winner is provided with a stipend, a bedroom with private bath, and a private workspace. Winners of half- and full-term fellowships receive stipends of $16,000 and $30,000, respectively.
- For more information on the award, such as eligibility requirements and the application and selection process, check out The Rome Prize.
- The American Academy in Rome will host an online information session on October 22nd. Interested scholars can register through zoom.
Newberry Library National Endowment for the Humanities Long-Term Fellowship
- Application Deadline: November 20, 2026
- Fellows spend 4-9 months at the Newberry during the academic year working on a large-scale project with direct relation to the Newberry collections. Projects can be in any field, with a focus on the humanities and related disciplines.
- Fellows receive $5,000 per month, which supports housing, travel, and other costs associated with living in Chicago. The Newberry does not provide housing for fellows. Fellows must be in continuous residence at the Newberry for their entire fellowship period and may not hold other fellowships during their residency.
- The annual cohort of approximately ten Long-Term Fellows have the opportunity to share their work to the public during the weekly Colloquium program, to give and receive feedback on works-in-progress in a seminar setting, and to take part in the activities of the Newberry Research Centers.
- To learn more about the application process, see How To Apply for a Fellowship.
Internal Awards
Distinguished University Professor
- Nomination deadline: January 29, 2027
- Distinguished University Professor is Ohio State's highest faculty honor. The award recognizes tenure-track professors who have demonstrated truly exceptional accomplishments in teaching, research, scholarly or creative work, and service.
- Learn more about Distinguished University Professor, including the nomination process and information about previous honorees at Distinguished University Professor.
- As with any internal award, we encourage units to begin identifying strong candidates for DUP early and planning nominations well in advance of the deadline. Additional information about Ohio State's internal faculty awards can be found on the Faculty Awards webpage.
ERIK Faculty Awards
- The Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge (ERIK) sponsors several awards annually recognizing faculty for outstanding work in scholarship, research, innovation and entrepreneurial activity, including:
- The Pierre Agostini Prize, which recognizes ground-breaking work that decisively contributes to the progress of one or more fields or changes that field’s direction
- The Distinguished Scholar Award
- The Early Career Distinguished Scholar Award
- The Innovator of the Year award
- The Early Career Innovator of the Year award
- Learn more about each of these honors on the Faculty Affairs website.
Limited Submission Opportunities
Ohio State’s Office of Corporate and Foundation Engagement manages the Limited Submission Opportunities process for private foundation opportunities. These opportunities are available on the Research Funding and Awards webpage or the Limited Submission Opportunities webpage.
Opportunities:
V Foundation Translational Adult Cancer Research Grant
- Internal deadline: Oct. 28, 2026; Funder deadline: Dec. 2, 2026
Discovery Science Award - SebastianStrong Foundation
- Internal deadline: Nov. 9, 2026 (application offered as first come-first serve); Funder deadline: Nov. 30, 2026
Clinical Investigator Award - Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
- Internal deadline: Nov. 9, 2026; Funder deadline: Jan. 19, 2027
Allen Foundation Academic Research Grants (January Cycle)
- Internal deadline: Nov. 9, 2026; Funder deadline Jan. 15, 2027
Mary Kay Ash Foundation - Cancer Research Grant
- Anticipated Internal Opening: Oct. 19, 2026; Anticipated Internal Deadline: November 16, 2026; Anticipated Funder Deadline: February 1, 2026
The G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Charitable Foundation Grants (Spring Cycle)
- Anticipated internal opening: Oct. 26, 2026; Anticipated internal deadline: Nov. 23, 2026; Anticipated funder deadline: Feb. 11, 2027
Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program
- Anticipated internal opening: Oct. 26, 2026; Anticipated internal deadline: Nov. 30, 2026; Anticipated funder deadline: Feb. 1, 2027
Contact us for support
Our team looks forward to working closely with all of you to support the development of your faculty and to recognize and promote their incredible contributions and achievements.
For questions regarding university‑level awards, please contact Kaprea Johnson johnson.9545@osu.edu. For limited submission inquiries, please contact Cameron Hill at hill.2575@osu.edu. If your unit would like assistance identifying external awards or developing nomination materials, please contact Travis Sheffler at sheffler.5@osu.edu.
All the best,
Kaprea F. Johnson, PhD
Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Recognition
Professor, College of Education and Human Ecology
Travis Sheffler
Director of Faculty Honorifics