University Distinguished Teaching Award

• Only full-time faculty members with at least ten years of service at NYU. Current full-time faculty may count past adjunct service towards the ten-year eligibility requirement.
• Current adjuncts* are not eligible for DTA consideration.
• Past winners of the award may not be renominated. Please review this list of previous winners before nomination.
• Faculty members must hold one of the following job titles
  • Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor
  • Clinical Professor, Clinical Associate Professor, Clinical Assistant Professor, Clinical Professor (Research), Clinical Associate Professor (Research), Clinical Assistant Professor (Research)
  • Global Distinguished Professor, Global Professor, Global Instructor
  • Professor (Research), Associate Professor (Research), Assistant Professor (Research) 
  • Industry Assistant Professor, Industry Associate Professor, Industry Full Professor
  • Arts Professor, Arts Associate Professor, Arts Assistant Professor
  • Lecturer, Senior Lecturer
  • Master Teacher, Teacher

*Current adjunct faculty are encouraged to contact their school's faculty affairs department to inquire about internal school awards for adjuncts.

Nominees to the Distinguished Teaching Award must demonstrate extraordinary commitment to, and innovation and effectiveness in, teaching and learning at the University as measured by the following criteria:

1. Has developed an informed, student-centric pedagogical approach as indicated by supporting statements (eg. student evaluations, letters from current and previous students, examples of syllabi, teaching philosophy)
2. Engages students in critical thinking and independent inquiry through innovative assessment and other student-directed practices (for example, these can include: stimulating in-class activities, engaging approaches to lecture, creative homework assignments, innovative or exceptionally thoughtful exams, and/or final or semester-long collaborative and other projects).
3. Has a record of mentoring students in their studies (in the classroom and outside classroom experiences such as clinical or field supervision), in their navigation of campus culture, and in their preparation for professional-life.
4. Has developed new curricula, new courses, new laboratory experiments, or new media for learning, thereby contributing to enhanced teaching within their field and/or across domains.

Students, faculty, and alumni wishing to submit a nomination are encouraged to contact their School Representative, which can be found in the list below.

After the school receives all of the nominations, they engage in their own selection process. Generally, each school forms a committee that comprises faculty, students, school alumni, and a representative of the dean's office. The committee then reviews the nominees to confirm that they not only meet the DTA criteria but reflect the tenets of teaching excellence for that particular school. One nominee may be advanced to the NYU All-University Selection Committee by the final nomination deadline. Please review the CFA’s recommendations for selecting and advancing competitive nominees.