Nominations due April 8 for COE’s Scholarship of Engagement Awards

Dean Catherine Emihovich, College of Education

The University of Florida’s College of Education is accepting nominations until April 8 for the 9th annual Scholarship of Engagement Awards competition for college and university faculty and graduate students, educators and education advocates in Alachua County and UF-partnering school districts around the state.

The college annually honors the year’s most noteworthy efforts in engaged scholarship, which involves innovative research and academic activities pursued specifically to make a meaningful difference in education and people’s lives. Engagement often involves partnerships and building connections with schools, families, school districts, community groups and government agencies to lead for change in a world where transformation in education and society is essential.

Nominations are due April 8, and should be sent to:
Jennifer Reeger
UF College of Education
P.O. Box 117040
Gainesville, FL 32611-7040

Or email your nomination letters to: (jreeger@coe.ufl.edu)

The winners (and their nominators) will be invited to attend the college’s Faculty Research and Engaged Scholarship Showcase (FRESS) to be held in the fall, where they will receive a plaque in honor of their work.

The Scholarship of Engagement awards are adapted from renowned 20th century educator Ernst Boyer’s vision that research-oriented universities need to broaden their concept of scholarship to reflect the issues and concerns of society at large.

As Boyer noted: “Scholarship means engaging in original research. But the work of the scholar also means stepping back from one’s investigation, looking for connections, building bridges between theory and practice, and communicating one’s knowledge effectively to students. Institutions should consider broadening the scope of the term ‘scholarship’ to recognize these four activities – discovery, integration, application, and teaching – as separate but overlapping dimensions of scholarship.”

Along with Boyer’s criteria, the College of Education also considers these elements: the impact the scholar’s work has had; wide dissemination through channels other than just scholarly journals; research that is focused on the ‘public good’; an integration of scholarship with teaching; time spent in a site (applies to field-based research); strong collaboration with other partners; a concern for equity and social justice; and, in the case of school/community nominees, effective translation of research results into action.

In the words of the English philosopher Herbert Spencer, “The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.”

Awards will be presented in the following categories:
University
College of Education (three faculty members, one P.K. Yonge teacher)
Graduate student
School district
Community

The 2010 winners were:
University – Francis E. “Jack” Putz, biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences;
College of Education faculty – Tim Jacobbe (School of Teaching and Learning); Joseph Gagnon (School of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies); David Miller (School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education); Randy Hollinger (P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School);
COE graduate student: Brian Barber (School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education);
School district – Julie Janssen, superintendent, Pinellas County School District;
Community – Karen Bricklemyer, president and CEO, United Way, North Central Florida

Nomination Process
Each COE school will select a recipient who best meets the intent of this award. P.K. Yonge School will follow a similar procedure. To nominate someone for the remaining categories, please submit a letter (no more than 2 pages) describing the candidate’s accomplishments, and explain why you believe she or he merits this award based on the criteria listed above (Previous nominees may be nominated again). Please do not send additional documentation apart from the nomination letter.

All nominations will be reviewed by a committee and winners will be informed in early May.