UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Office of the President has opened the call for nominations for the Faculty Scholar Medal, one of Penn State's highest recognitions of faculty achievement in research, scholarship and creative accomplishment.
“The Faculty Scholar Medal has been a symbol of academic distinction for over 45 years, honoring the extraordinary contributions our faculty make to their disciplines and to society,” said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. “These annual awards celebrate the innovation, discovery and creative work that define excellence across our University and reflect the power of scholarship to push boundaries, inspire momentum and impact lives.”
Established by the Board of Trustees in 1980, the Faculty Scholar Medal is presented annually during the University Awards Program. Medals are awarded in six scholarly areas: arts and humanities; engineering; entrepreneurship, technology transfer, and economic development; life and health sciences; physical sciences; and social and behavioral sciences.
The selection process is administered by the Office of Faculty Affairs. Selection panels composed of faculty peers in each scholarly area will review nominations and make recommendations to the president.
Deans and chancellors must submit nominations through InfoReady by November 30, 2026. Faculty members interested in being nominated should contact their college or campus office for information regarding local submission deadlines and requirements.
The achievement for which a faculty member is nominated should have occurred or culminated within the previous five years. Particular emphasis should be placed on recognizing either a single significant contribution or a series of contributions connected by a coherent theme.
Guidelines for nominations are available here.
Nomination materials must be submitted electronically as a single PDF file through InfoReady. Eligible nominees are members of the University as defined by the electorate of the University Faculty Senate, with the exception of individuals who have previously received the Faculty Scholar Medal, those designated as Evan Pugh University Professors, and those holding endowed professorships or chair positions.
Nomination dossiers should include a letter from the dean, chancellor or director endorsing the nominee and, where applicable, a letter from the unit head or department head. These letters should provide a detailed description of the achievement being recognized and offer evidence of the nominee's superior scholarly or creative accomplishments during the past five years.
The dossier should also include the nominee’s curriculum vitae; a representative sample of the achievement, such as selected publications, book excerpts, artistic portfolios, recordings of performances, patents, or other relevant materials; published reviews of key works when applicable; and external evaluations from faculty at peer institutions that substantiate the national or international significance of the achievement. Brief identifying information about the evaluators should be included.
Nomination dossiers should be selective and should not exceed 100 pages; in many cases, considerably shorter dossiers are encouraged. No more than five external evaluation letters should be included. The complete dossier must be submitted electronically as a single PDF file.
Questions regarding the nomination process should be directed to Peter Hopsicker, associate vice provost for Faculty Affairs, at pmh12@psu.edu.