November 16, 2015
Reminder: Nominations for Provost's Lecture on Excellence in Scholarship due Dec. 1
Submitted by April Mason and Sandra Stith
Provost April Mason and the Kansas State University Distinguished Professors Group, or UDPG, are inviting nominations for speakers for the all-university lecture series, The Provost's Lecture on Excellence in Scholarship. Nominations will come from K-State academic departments for speakers in the 2016 spring and fall semesters.
The deadline for regular track nominations is Dec. 1 and nomination packages should be submitted electronically to Sandra Stith, sstith@k-state.edu, chair of the Excellence in Scholarship Lecture Committee; or Mike Tokach, mtokach@k-state.edu, president, University Distinguished Professors Group, for 2015-16.
The lecture series is intended to foster excellence by bringing in one high-profile speaker per semester to deliver a colloquium lecture on campus. This effort is intended to elevate the visiting person's understanding of the quality of faculty we have here at K-State and thereby help us gain more national and international recognition of our faculty. The long-term goal is to get K-State faculty nominated to prestigious academies and societies, such as AAAS fellows and members of the National Academies. These speakers may be Nobel laureates or academy members in various disciplines including the arts, humanities, sciences, engineering, technology, business and education.
The colloquium is named The Provost's Lecture on Excellence in Scholarship: Sponsored by the University Distinguished Professors. We believe that such an event will bring significant recognition and policy to efforts in excellence in scholarship at Kansas State University.
Provost Mason has provided a budget of up to $10,000 per semester, which can be used to cover an honorarium, travel and lodging expenses for the speaker and the other costs associated with publicizing the lecture. We expect that, in some cases, the department or host unit may have to bear additional costs, such as food expenses for receptions or banquets. The proposing department or host unit is responsible for making all arrangements for the lecture and visit, including travel, lodging, processing honorarium and securing a location for the lecture.
The University Distinguished Professors Group's Committee on Excellence in Scholarship Lecture Series will recommend a lecturer to the provost for her approval and work with the academic department's faculty or seminar committee to bring the speaker to campus for a two-day gala to celebrate the excellence in scholarship that would include a lecture, visits and media appearances. The provost's decision is expected early in the spring semester for speakers in the spring and fall semesters. In truly exceptional cases, speakers will be considered off cycle, and the provost and the University Distinguished Professors president should be notified in this case.
Download the Provost's Lecture on Excellence in Scholarship nomination form.
Thank you,
April Mason, provost and senior vice president
Sandra Stith, university distinguished professor and chair, Excellence in Scholarship Lecture Committee