FACULTY & STAFF

The Virgil Orr Junior Faculty Award was established in 2000 from a proposal developed by the University Senate and approved by Dr. Dan Reneau, President of Louisiana Tech University. Junior faculty are defined as 1) non-tenure track faculty, regardless of years of service or 2) untenured faculty in tenure-track positions. The purpose of the award is to recognize junior faculty who have made significant contributions to the mission and purpose of the university. Nominations and the selection of a single nominee for each college and the library are made on the basis of a vote of the entire faculty of each college and the library, respectively. The award includes a plaque and a $1,500 stipend paid through the Louisiana Tech University Foundation. The award is presented during the annual Fall meeting of the University Faculty and Staff. Any junior faculty member in an area may be nominated for the Virgil Orr Undergraduate Junior Faculty Award in accordance with the following criteria: 

• The nominee has at least a 9-month, full-time, non-administrative appointment;
• The nominee is either non tenure-track or untenured in a tenure tenure-track appointment;
• The nominee has responsibilities in undergraduate teaching, research and/or similar endeavors, and community/university service; and 
• The nominee has not previously received this award.

The award clearly states that nominees may be selected from each college and the library, but the eligibility criteria state that nominees must have responsibilities in undergraduate teaching, research, and similar endeavors, and community/university service (criteria #3). Furthermore, the nomination and selection process established for this award states that each nominee must provide a five-page information packet to the University Senate in order to be considered for the award. This packet currently must include: 

• A list of courses taught and the overall teacher evaluation rating for each course; or a description of activities in which the nominee has engaged to benefit the students, faculty, and university community and performance evaluations of the nominee by his/her superiors, and, 
• A statement of the nominee’s beliefs concerning the importance of teaching, research, or other services and activities in which the nominee is engaged, and community/university service to the overall mission of the university, 
• A selected list of publications, grants, and similar activities; and
• A selected list of community/service activities.