USM Board of Regents Faculty Awards

The Board of Regents Faculty Awards are the highest honor presented by the Board Regents to exemplary faculty members within the University System of Maryland. 

Congratulations to our 2026 Finalists for the USM Board of Regents Faculty Awards

  • Ms. Amanda Burnham — Art + Design, Art History, Art Education: Creative Activity
  • Dr. Seth Gitter — Economics: Mentoring 
  • Dr. Kelly Elkins — Chemistry and Forensic Science: Public Service 
  • Dr. Jeff Kukucka — Psychology: Public Service 
  • Dr. Erin Girio-Herrera — Psychology: Teaching 

The Board of Regents' Faculty Awards publicly recognizes faculty members' distinguished performance in:

  • teaching
  • scholarship or research 
  • creative activity 
  • public service 
  • mentoring

Each award carries a $2,000 prize provided by the institutions and the University System of Maryland Foundation.

Towson University’s Institutional Faculty Nominating Committee submits its recommendations to university leadership for consideration. Final nominations of outstanding TU faculty whose efforts have fueled exceptional teaching, research, service and innovation were then forwarded to the USM Office of Academic Affairs for final selection.

Eligibility

The nominee must meet all of the following criteria:

  • The faculty member being nominated must be currently employed by a USM institution as a tenured, tenure—track, or non—tenure track faculty member.
  • An individual must have been a USM faculty member for at least five years.
  • The faculty member must have been employed by a USM institution while making the outstanding contributions on which the nomination is based.
  • The period of performance to be considered will be the three—year period ending on June 30 of the year in which the nomination is made for teaching; scholarship or research; creative activity; and public service. Reference to work in previous years may be made to show continuous achievement in the academic field. The nomination packet for a mentoring award may include more than three years of mentoring.
  • Faculty must satisfy the departmental faculty—workload requirement.
  • Faculty who have won a Regents Faculty Award within the past three years are not eligible for the same award.

Award Categories

Teaching is to be interpreted broadly enough to encompass all educational activities on the USM, including distance education. This may also include demonstrated accomplishments in areas such as course development and pedagogy, direction of student research projects, leadership in teaching improvement or mentoring faculty to improve teaching.

Scholarship or Research is to be interpreted broadly enough to include professional accomplishments in the nominee’s field and to encompass all fields of study at any USM institution. The nominee shall have shown evidence of exceptional scholarship or research that extends or deepens the bounds of knowledge and/or is recognized as innovative in nominee's discipline.

Creative Activity is to be interpreted broadly enough to include the production of visual, performing and literary arts. The nominee shall have shown evidence of exceptional creative activity that extends or deepens the bounds of knowledge or artistic merit and/or is recognized as innovative in the nominee's discipline. 

Public Service will include any activity other than teaching and scholarship, research or creative activity that benefits the citizens of Maryland, the nation or humanity in general. The nominee shall have contributed to the community through involvement in initiatives such as P-20 programs, clinical practice, professional or non-profit organizations, public policy, public health and entrepreneurship in ways that meaningfully and positively affect the human condition. 

Mentoring is to be interpreted broadly enough to include a variety of activities that foster student development and success. The nominee shall have demonstrated excellence in the mentoring of students. This can be confirmed by student career development, measurable improvement in areas such as retention and graduating rates, improvement of post-baccalaureate progression rates or major-field or related-field employment rates.

View the AY 2025—2026 Guidelines for More Information (USM) 

Nomination Timeline

1

Call for Nominations 

  • The Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs sends the official call for nominations to USM Presidents (usually by mid-September).
  • The Office of the Provost then notifies Deans and Associate Deans who disseminate information to their colleges.
  • Resources: View the AY 2025-2026 memo.

2

Internal Application Submission

Faculty must: 
  • Consult with their dean before applying (self-nominations are not permitted).
  • After receiving dean approval, applicants submit the first five pages of the application to , (usually by the end of September). 
Initial Application Materials:
  1. Summary resume 
  2. One-page essay describing contributions to excellence in the chosen category
  3. Recommendation letter from the department chair or dean
  4. Brief documentation summarizing exemplary achievements in the chosen category. 

3

Internal Selection Process 

  • The TU Selection Committee (with representatives from each college) reviews initial applications to determine which applicants advance. (Meets the First Friday in October.)
  • Selected faculty are notified by email with next steps. 
  • Resource: Checklist of materials required for the full application.

4

Department Chair and Deans

  • Department Chairs receive a Certification Form to complete for each selected nominee.
  • Deans are asked to prepare a letter from the President supporting the nominee.

5

Final Application Packets

  • Final application packets (20 pages) are due to the Office of the Provost, to jnance@towsone.edu, (usually around early-November). 
  • Office of the Provost submits final application packets to the USM, (usually around mid-November).

6

Award Announcement

Past Towson University USM Board of Regents Faculty Award Recipients 

Paz Galupo, Ph.D. (2023) — CLA

Articles on Past Winners