For more than 35 years, three teachers in the College of Arts and Sciences have been chosen to receive the distinguished teacher award.

“It is an annual award that the College of Arts and Sciences has been providing since the 1970s to recognize distinguished teachers within the college,” Associate Dean Timothy Moore said.

The deadline for students to nominate teachers for this year’s award is midnight tomorrow. The deadline is a week later than originally planned.

“I had a sense many students weren’t aware of it. And I wanted to give students a chance to nominate,” Moore said.

The unique thing about the College of Arts and Sciences distinguished teacher award is that the students nominate and choose the winners.

After all the nominations come in, Moore’s secretary compiles the information without the teachers’ names. The Student Advisory Council will meet April 11 to select the best nominees.

The winners will be selected within the next month and recognized at a banquet in late April, where they will be given a certificate of achievement.

“It is regarded in some ways as more significant by faculty because it is a student-run process entirely,” Moore said. “Therefore people feel it is much more pure. No other faculty influences are involved.”

Once a faculty member receives the award, it is unlikely he or she will receive it again.

“Others should be recognized,” Moore said. “I don’t want to keep duplicating the same. I want there to be continued recognition of others.”

Moore said students are encouraged to go to the College of Arts and Sciences Web site at http://as.kent.edu and vote. Students should then click on the “Vote Now on Distinguished Teaching Awards” icon and fill out the questionnaire.

The nomination process involves filling out a nomination form of five questions and is done entirely online.

“Depending on how extensive you want to get in your explanations, I would say it should take a student about 15 minutes,” Moore said.

English professor Maggie Anderson won the distinguished teacher award in 2002.

“I was just teaching away and then I saw someone come in with balloons and refreshments,” Anderson said. “It’s a cool thing because you are being notified in front of your current students.”

Contact College of Arts & Sciences reporter Christina Stafford at [email protected].