Henry Russel Lectureship

PLEASE NOTE: We have substantially changed the guidelines and process for awards nominations. Please remember to read through the description below.

Information about the 2013 Henry Russel Lecture is available here

Considered the University’s highest honor for a senior member of its active faculty, the Henry Russel Lectureship is awarded annually to recognize a faculty member of exceptional achievements in research, scholarship and/or creative endeavors, and an outstanding record of distinguished teaching, mentoring, and service to the university and to wider communities.

Open/Edit a Nomination

General Information

Eligibility

Senior faculty with the rank of full professor may be nominated for the Henry Russel Lectureship. Nominees must be active members of the faculty both at the time of nomination and at the time of delivering the Russel Lecture, usually in the following academic year. Nominators are encouraged to nominate outstanding women, minorities, and members of other groups historically underrepresented in their disciplines.

Selection Criteria

The Henry Russel Lectureship is awarded annually to recognize a faculty member 1) who has made exceptional contributions to research, scholarship and creative endeavors, 2) who has an outstanding record as an educator in teaching and mentoring, and 3) whose national and international reputation for excellence brings distinction to the University of Michigan.

Number of Awards

One award of $2,000 will be made annually. The recipient delivers the Henry Russel Lecture which takes place in the following academic year.

Source of Nominations

Nominations may be submitted by deans, directors, department/program heads, executive, promotion or award committees, or individual faculty members. If you plan to re-nominate a competitor from a prior year, please contact Pat McCune to arrange for activation of the online dossier.

Selection Process

Nominations are reviewed by a selection committee comprised of distinguished senior faculty from across the schools and colleges, including former recipients of this award. Awardees are selected by the President of the university based upon the recommendations of this committee. The formal presentation of the award will take place when the recipient of the Lectureship delivers his/her Henry Russel Lecture in March 2014.

Deadline

The nomination deadline for 2013 Henry Russel Lectureship is March 27, 2013, 12PM/noon EDT.

For more information contact:

Pat McCune, Ph.D.
Senior Project Manager
Telephone: 936-1647
E-mail: faculty-awards@umich.edu

Guidelines for the Preparation of Nominations

Guidelines for the Preparation of Nominations

The complete instructions for submitting a nomination for this award are available here as well as on the separate nomination website.

Listed below are the four items that must be included in the dossier before the nomination can be submitted. You will be asked to either enter text into text boxes or online forms, or upload documents in Adobe PDF format.

A nomination dossier can be set up by a U-M faculty or staff member. Up to six others may be given access to the site by the person who opens the dossier on the website. After a nomination dossier is started the nominator(s) and assistant(s) may login to the faculty awards nomination system as many times as needed in order to complete the nomination.

Contact Information Form

Provide in the online form all the contact information requested for both the nominee and the nominator—not the administrative contact.

Letter of Nomination

You may submit your nomination letter by uploading the document in Adobe PDF format. If this is a re-nomination you have the option of submitting an addendum to your earlier nomination letter or of uploading a new letter that will replace the earlier one. The nomination letter may be no longer than five pages (3,400 words) in length.

The committee members represent a range of disciplines and may not be familiar with your nominee’s field; it is essential to describe achievements in a way that conveys the significance to those not acquainted with the discipline. The nomination must also make it clear why this particular individual was nominated given the notably accomplished and engaged number of full professors at U-M.

If you wish, you may include in your five pages evidence of teaching excellence or impact other than the standard forms from E&E. Please note that we will collect the E&E teaching evaluations for your nominee and add them to the file, so that you do not need to include this information.

While letters from others may not be included, the nominator is welcome to solicit in advance short descriptions of the nominee’s abilities and achievements from former and current students, peers across the country, and faculty with whom the nominee has collaborated. Excerpts from these may be incorporated where appropriate in the letter of nomination.

Committee members often find the following information helpful as they try to evaluate and distinguish among a highly competitive set of nominees. Persuasive letters of nomination will include:

  • An assessment of the range and overall importance the nominee’s research, scholarly or creative endeavors and accomplishments so that readers can understand the scope and value of his/her professional work. The committee is especially interested in evidence of contributions that have transformed a discipline or field of study or launched a new field of study.
  • Evidence of substantial recognition nationally and internationally among peers and scholars for the impact of the research or scholarship. This should include prior recognition within the University (such as selection as a Distinguished University Professor) and by professional associations, national academies, or other groups with knowledge of the nominee’s contributions. The committee is especially interested in recognition that extends beyond a nominee’s immediate field of expertise.
  • Evidence of outstanding contributions as an educator. This should include willingness to make education a high priority during the nominee’s career; engagement in curriculum development and improvement; recognition as an accomplished teacher; engagement with graduate students and junior colleagues to further their scholarship and careers.
  • Evidence of effective contributions to serving the nominee’s department, school or college, university, professional association, or other institutions. This may include successful service in formal or informal administrative or leadership roles.
  • Attention to activities indicative of the nominee’s breadth of interest and engagement (e.g., interdisciplinary efforts or involvement with public, nonprofit, or entrepreneurial activity) and depth of knowledge in related fields.

Curriculum Vitae

Include the nominee’s most complete and current c.v. by uploading the most recent version in Adobe PDF format.

Doctoral Committee Service Form

Complete the online form by providing in the text box the following information for all doctoral committee service in the past ten years: name of student, student’s department/program, year the degree was conferred or is expected, role served by the nominee. The awards selection committee considers placement information to be valuable in their assessment.

Open/Edit a Nomination

Recipients of the Henry Russel Lectureship

2013

  • James S. House, Public Policy and Sociology

2012

  • Rebecca J. Scott, History/Law

2011

  • Richard Janko, Classical Studies

2010

  • Richard Nisbett, Psychology

2009

  • Lennard Fisk, Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences

2008

  • Kent V. Flannery, Anthropology

2007

  • Kensall Wise, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

2006

  • Huda Akil, Psychiatry

2005

  • William Fulton, Mathematics

2004

  • Maris Vinovskis, History/Public Policy

2003

  • Rowena G. Matthews, Biological Chemistry/Biophysics

2002

  • Gerard Mourou, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

2001

  • Sid Gilman, Neurology

2000

  • Abigail Stewart, Psychology/Women’s Studies

1999

  • Jack E. Dixon, Biological Chemistry

1998

  • David E. Kuhl, Internal Medicine/Radiology

1997

  • William E. Bolcom, Music Composition

1996

  • Ludwig Koenen, Papyrology/Classical Studies

1995

  • Vincent Massey, Biological Chemistry

1994

  • Elizabeth M. Douvan, Psychology/Women’s Studies

1993

  • John H. Holland, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science/Psychology

1992

  • Robert Axelrod, Political Science/Public Policy

1991

  • Minor J. Coon, Biological Chemistry

1990

  • Frederick W. Gehring, Mathematics

1989

  • Richard D. Alexander, Evolutionary Biology

1988

  • Bernard W. Agranoff, Neurosciences/Biological Chemistry

1987

  • Philip E. Converse, Sociology/Political Science

1986

  • Thomas M. Donahue, Atmospheric, Oceanic & Space Science

1985

  • Sidney Fine, History

1984

  • Leslie R. Bassett, Music Composition

1983

  • Stefan S. Fajans, Internal Medicine

1982

  • Emmett R. Leith, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

1981

  • Leslie Kish, Sociology/Institute for Social Research

1980

  • Halvor N. Christensen, Biological Chemistry

1979

  • Francis A. Allen, Law

1978

  • Arthur W. Burks, Philosophy/Computer & Communication Sciences

1977

  • Charles Gibson, History

1976

  • Lamberto Cesari, Mathematics

1975

  • George Kish, Geography

1974

  • Chia-Sun Yih, Mechanical Engineering

1973

  • George E. Mendenhall, Near Eastern Studies

1972

  • James B. Griffin, Anthropology

1971

  • Paul G. Kauper, Law

1970

  • John Arthos, English Language & Literature

1969

  • Arnold M. Kuethe, Aerospace Engineering

1968

  • Horace R. Crane, Physics

1967

  • Maurice H. Seevers, Pharmacology

1966

  • James V. Neel, Human Genetics

1965

  • Harold E. Wethey, History of Art

1964

  • William Randolph Taylor, Botany

1963

  • Irving A. Leonard, History

1962

  • Herbert C. Youtie, Classical Studies

1961

  • Jerome W. Conn, Medicine

1960

  • Frederick F. Blicke, Chemistry

1959

  • Raymond L. Wilder, Mathematics

1958

  • Verner W. Crane, History

1957

  • Louis I. Bredvold, English Language & Literature

1956

  • George E. Uhlenbeck, Physics

1955

  • George Granger Brown, Engineering

1954

  • Thomas Francis, Jr., Epidemiology

1953

  • Robert Gesell, Physiology

1952

  • David M. Dennison, Physics

1951

  • Aaron Franklin Shull, Zoology

1950

  • Arthur Edward R. Boak, History

1949

  • Howard Bishop Lewis, Biological Chemistry

1948

  • Hobart Hurd Willard, Chemistry

1947

  • DeWitt Henry Parker, Philosophy

1946

  • Elizabeth C. Crosby, Anatomy

1945

  • Edward Henry Kraus, Mineralogy

1944

  • John Alexander, Surgery

1943

  • Isaiah Leo Sharfman, Economics

1942

  • William H. Worrell, Near Eastern Studies

1941

  • Harrison M. Randall, Physics

1940

  • Frank Norman Wilson, Medicine

1939

  • Campbell Bonner, Greek

1938

  • Heber Doust Curtis, Astronomy

1937

  • Charles Wallace Edmunds, Materia Medica

1936

  • John Garrett Winter, Latin

1935

  • Gotthelf Carl Huber, Anatomy

1934

  • Ermine Cowles Case, Geology

1933

  • Walter B. Pillsbury, Psychology

1932

  • Jesse Siddall Reeves, Political Science

1931

  • William Herbert Hobbs, Geology

1930

  • Claude H. Van Tyne, History

1929

  • Alfred Scott Warthin, Pathology

1928

  • Henry Arthur Sanders, Latin

1927

  • Frederick George Novy, Bacteriology

1926

  • Moses Gomberg, Chemistry