Distinguished Teaching Awards

The Committee on Distinguished Teaching Awards encourages nominations for the highest and most prestigious teaching awards that Indiana University offers. The purpose of the awards is to call attention to the importance of teaching as well as to recognize those who have demonstrated excellence in a wide range of pedagogical activities. The awards are made at the Celebration of Distinguished Teaching held in the spring.

The names of award recipients are engraved on plaques in the Indiana Memorial Union, and recipients receive a cash award and a certificate. 

The Lieber Associate Instructor Awards are also given at the celebration dinner, and in addition to the certificate, recipients will be given a one-time cash award.

The awards and eligibility:

• The Frederic Bachman Lieber Memorial Award is available to tenured full-time faculty (or faculty holding an equivalent appointment in a continuing full-time position) who have taught for five or more years at Indiana University.

• The Herman F. Lieber Memorial Award is available to tenured full-time faculty (or equivalent) who have taught for five or more years at Indiana University.

• The Sylvia E. Bowman is awarded to faculty who focus on some area of American civilization. The committee will consider only tenured full-time faculty (or equivalent) who have taught for five or more years at Indiana University.

• The President’s Awards are available to all tenured full-time faculty (or equivalent)—and to all full-time, permanent lecturers, and clinical rank faculty —who have taught for five or more years at Indiana University.

Faculty members may make nominations directly to the Committee, or they may submit nominations through departmental chairs or deans. The committee does not consider visiting or emeriti faculty nor former University Distinguished Teaching Award recipients for these awards. For the Sylvia E. Bowman, Frederic Bachman Lieber, Herman Frederic Lieber, and President’s Awards, the committee will consider only tenured full-time faculty (or faculty holding an equivalent appointment in a continuing full-time position) who have taught for five or more years at Indiana University.