MAA Golden Section Distinguished College or University 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 Teaching Award is nominated by the Section for the MAA Haimo Award.

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 will later be forwarded to the MAA to be considered for the Haimo 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 Haimo Award.

1. The awards are to be made to college or university teachers of mathematics who have been widely recognized as extraordinarily successful. Their teaching effectiveness must be documented and, in particular, shown to have influence beyond their own institutions. Teaching is to be interpreted in its broadest sense, not necessarily limited to classroom instruction.
2. Recipients must be members of the Association (teaching in the U.S. or Canada).

Directions for the initial nomination

Fill out the initial nomination form . In your description of the nominee, you may include the nominee's extraordinary success in teaching by providing a narrative of the nominee's background, experience, teaching style, special contributions, other teaching awards, and any additional evidence of the nominee's unusual achievement in teaching. You may attach one, and only one, additional page for the narrative.

Click HERE for the MAA HAIMO site with full regulations, guidelines and full nomination form.

Email the initial nomination form as a PDF file to the Teaching Award Committee Chairman, currently Elizabeth Gross egross@hawaii.edu, by NOVEMBER 15.

Directions for the full nomination

Please pay attention to the directions for the Haimo Award at the link given above. We highlight some of the requirements here.

• Limit the narrative of the nominee to no more than five double spaced pages.
• Submit no more than three pages of 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.
  • Two letters from the nominee's colleagues (one of whom could be the department chair).
  • One additional letter from anyone qualified to comment on the nominee's extraordinary teaching success.