Henry Daniel Rinsland Memorial Award

The Henry Daniel Rinsland Memorial Award for Excellence in Educational Research was established to recognize faculty who either play a central role in the accomplishment of an outstanding educational research project or demonstrate a distinguished record in educational research over time.

Each award winner receives a one-time prize of $1,500 and a framed certificate.

Nominations are due from the Dean's Office to the Office of the Vice President for Research by November 1, 2020 via the online submission form.

To qualify for the Henry Daniel Rinsland Memorial Award for Excellence in Educational Research, a faculty member must either play a central role in the accomplishment of an outstanding educational research project or demonstrate a distinguished record in educational research over time. Educational research can occur in any discipline; as such, nominations are accepted for faculty from any discipline. Other specific criteria:

• Full-time regular faculty members are eligible for the award. A recipient of the award cannot be considered for the award again for five years.

• Excellence in educational research can be demonstrated in two ways:

1. The faculty member plays a central role in a specific educational research activity which can be characterized as outstanding

2. The faculty member demonstrates a distinguished record of educational research excellence over time.

• The research must relate to the educational process, but can include educational research within a specific academic discipline.

• The nominated research should meet standards of excellence within the specific research discipline and within the research community at large. Determination of excellence shall be based on:

                        1. internal peer review

                        2. external peer review

                        3. quality of refereed journals in which research is published

                        4. the degree to which the research expands the body of knowledge in that academic area.

Initiation

The Senior Vice President and Provost will solicit recommendations for the award by September 15 and announce appropriate schedules for processing the nominations. Furthermore, the solicitations will be posted on the appropriate campus website, for access by nominators and faculty on all campuses.

Recommendations

Nominations may derive from department chairs or unit directors, elected members of departmental/unit Committee A, a departments/unit's approved nomination committee, Center leaders, or a group of faculty who are familiar with the nominee's qualifications for the award. Only one nomination by an academic unit or other nominating group of faculty is allowed. The nominating entity will be responsible for assembling the nomination packets including supporting documentation.

Nominations shall be forwarded to the respective dean for review and endorsement. An optional letter from the dean, if included, will focus on evaluatory comments regarding the quality and significance of the nominee's impact on the broader OU mission. The dean will forward the nomination materials to the respective Office of the Vice President for Research by November 1.    

Supporting Documentation

1. A current curriculum vitae for the nominee;
2. A letter of recommendation from the nominating unit that explains the basis for the nomination;
3. Up to three letters of reference supporting the nomination from scholars external to the University in the nominee's area of expertise;
4. Any additional information which may be helpful, such as a letter from the relevant dean

All materials listed above should be submitted from the Dean's office by November 1 via the online submission form.

Evaluation

The Vice President for Research will present to the appropriate Research Council all nominations with the supporting documentation and the comments of the academic unit chair/director and college dean. In addition, the Vice President for Research will present to the Research Council the external evaluations and his/her own evaluations.

Review

The Research Council shall consider only the formal nominations. The Council shall forward to the Senior Vice President and Provost its recommendation(s) for the award. The Council also shall transmit all substantiating materials pertaining to all nominees.

Selection

The Senior Vice President and Provost will review the nomination materials and the Council's recommendation(s), and will forward his or her recommendation(s), along with all nominations and all substantiating materials pertaining to all nominees, to the President.

The final selection will be announced at the Norman Campus annual Faculty Award Ceremony.

Each award winner receives a one-time award of $1,500 and a framed certificate.

This award is hosted by the Office of the Vice President for Research. For questions about this award, please contact Dianna Crissman.