MAA Golden Section Distinguished College or University New Teacher of Mathematics Award

The MAA has two awards for distinguished college or university teaching of mathematics: the Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award (instituted in 1991) and, for beginning college or university teachers of mathematics, the Henry L. Alder Award (instituted in 2003). The recipient of the Golden Section New Teaching Award is nominated by the Section for the MAA Alder Award if the recipient holds a Ph.D.

It is important that the MAA Golden Section recognizes those among us for extraordinarily successful teaching of mathematics (in the broadest sense, and not limited to the classroom), for influencing the teaching of mathematics beyond his or her own institution, and for fostering curiosity and generating excitement about mathematics among students. This is because, being not only practitioners of mathematics, but also being stewards of our discipline, we need to ensure the successful future of mathematics by bringing up new generations of outstanding mathematicians. Therefore, please take time to reflect on the experienced and new teachers of mathematics that you know, and nominate those whom you think are worthy of the Teaching Award. Thank you.

Process

The Golden Section has a two-step nomination process that consists of (i) the initial nomination, and (ii) the full nomination. The initial nomination is very simple, and requires the filling out of a one-page form together with a one-page summary that supports the nomination. After screening the initial nominations, the Teaching Award Committee will invite the nominators of clearly competitive nominations to submit full nominations. (The full nomination materials of the recipient of the Section Award who holds a Ph.D. will later be forwarded to the MAA to be considered for the Alder Award.)

Deadlines

• Initial nomination deadline NOVEMBER 15
• Full nomination deadline: END OF DECEMBER

Eligibility

The following eligibility requirements are a subset of the requirements for the MAA Alder Award. Please note that, unlike the Alder Award, a nominee for the Section Award does not have to hold a Ph.D.

1. Be college or university teachers who have held a full-time faculty appointment in a department of mathematical sciences in the United States or Canada for at least two, but not more than seven, years since receiving the master's or Ph.D. A nominee who has just started the eighth year of teaching at the time of the application is still eligible for the award.
2. Hold membership in the Mathematical Association of America.
3. Nominees should:
• Be recognized as extraordinarily successful in their teaching
• Have effectiveness in teaching undergraduate mathematics that can be documented
• Have had influence in their teaching beyond their own classrooms

Directions for the initial nomination

Fill out the initial nomination form. Where the form asks, "Date Nominee Received Ph.D.," note if the nominee has a master's degree, but not a Ph.D. (This does not affect a nominee's standing for the Section Award.) In the one-page summary, describe the unusual and personal and professional qualities of the nominee that contribute to his or her extraordinary teaching success

Note: Pages may be single spaced but must be printed on 8.5 by 11 inch paper with a type size no smaller than 12 points (pica) and margins no smaller than 3/4 inch.

Click HERE for the MAA Alder site and full nomination form.

Email the initial nomination form as a PDF file to the Teaching Award Committee Chairman, currently Dr. Elizabeth Gross egross@hawaii.edu, by the middle of NOVEMBER.

Directions for the full nomination

• Limit the narrative of the nominee to no more than two pages.
• Submit no more than two pages of further evidence to document the nominee's extraordinary teaching success.
• Include no more than five letters of recommendation of no more than one page each as follows.
  • Two letters from the nominee's present or former students.
  • One letter from the nominee's colleagues (could be the department chair).
  • At most two additional letters from anyone qualified to comment on the nominee's extraordinary teaching success, including additional students and/or colleagues.
• Note: Pages may be single spaced but must be printed on 8.5 by 11 inch paper with a type size no smaller than 12 points (pica) and margins no smaller than 3/4 inch.