From time to time the President of the University having received the advice and consent of The Faculty Senate Steering Committee may award to appropriate persons The James D. Westcott Distinguished Service Medal.
A Recipient of the Westcott Medal will be a person whose distinguished service merits exceptional recognition and whose life and work exemplifies the Vires, Artes And Mores, which the University seeks to nurture in its students.
The Westcott Medal will be presented infrequently and should be regarded as one of the University's highest tributes.
It is appropriate for the medal to bear the name of James D. Westcott who was the first benefactor of the University.
This award was established to commemorate Dr. King's birthday and to honor a faculty member or administrator with teaching responsibilities for outstanding service in keeping with the principles and ideas of the late civil rights leader. Members of all ethnic groups are eligible for the award. The award carries a $1,000 stipend.
Awards are given annually in recognition of excellent undergraduate teaching and advising. The number of awards and the amount of the stipends are determined annually based upon the amount of funding available. A joint student/faculty committee makes recommendations for recipients of these awards. Certain of these awards carry the title "Distinguished Teaching Professor."
The Developing Scholar Awards program is designed to recognize developing scholars at a midpoint in their career. Beginning scholars and well established scholars are not eligible. Preference is given to tenured faculty who have recently been promoted to the rank of Associate Professor. Awards are not based upon specific research proposals but rather on evidence of a continuing program of productivity of high quality research and creativity. The award provides support for the faculty member's program of research and creativity.
The President's Continuing Education Award of $2,000 is given annually to recognize outstanding faculty contribution to continuing education as a vitally important component of the University's mission. A faculty committee makes recommendation for recipients of this award.
The Daisy Parker Flory Alumni Professorship Award is given in recognition of faculty who have contributed to the University's well-being through exemplary and sustained service to students, faculty, discipline/profession, and community. The award carries an annual salary supplement (unless ineligible) of $5,000 from the time of award for a period of ten years, or to the point at which the recipient leaves full-time employment at the University.
Named Professorships are a means of recognizing outstanding faculty who exemplify high standards of performance in teaching, research and service with a specific discipline/profession. Named Professorships shall be established as funds become available for that purpose. Such Professorships shall consist of a title (to be determined at the time of the establishment of the Professorship) and shall include an annual salary supplement and/or research and travel funds (the amount to be determined by the funds available). Both the title and the funds shall be retained by the faculty member while engaged as a full-time employee at Florida State (those who become University Service Professors by means of retirement shall have an appropriate reduction of financial support while retaining the title of the Named Professorship).
By action of the Faculty Senate, any member or department may nominate a member of the faculty for the Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor. To be eligible for this award, the highest award the University confers on one of its own, the faculty member must be a tenured professor, have been at the University for at least six years, and above all have achieved true distinction in his discipline or profession. The title of "Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor" shall be conferred each year; this title shall be retained, with date of award indicated, in the catalog listing of faculty members.
Three Distinguished Research Professor Awards will be awarded annually. This award is designed to recognize outstanding research and/or creative activity of faculty members and carries a one-time stipend of $3,000.
The Council on Research and Creativity, acting as a committee as a whole, will review and rank all nominees and make recommendations to the President who, in turn, will select recipients.
In 1979 the Florida Legislature established the Eminent Scholars program (Florida Statutes 240.257) for the State University System to strengthen the state universities by making it possible to set up endowed chairs to attract distinguished scholars. An Eminent Scholars Chair can be created at Florida State University when the University Foundation at Florida State University raises $600,000 in private funds. These funds are then matched by $420,000 from the State of Florida. No state funds may be released, however, until the Foundation has raised the necessary $600,000 in new private funds. The money raised by the Foundation must be "new" in that it must be above the average raised each year for the past three years.
The Scholar chosen to occupy the Chair shall hold the qualifications of the rank of Professor, and shall be internationally recognized as foremost scholar in his or her area of expertise. Duties shall normally include scholarly activities in the areas of teaching, research, service and other related activities.
The Scholar designated to occupy the Chair shall be chosen through a search committee process. This search committee shall be composed of one member appointed by the President of the Student Government Association, two faculty members appointed by the President of the University, and four members appointed by the Chairman of the Board of the Florida State University Foundation, three of whom shall be faculty from the program receiving the Chair and one of whom shall be an alumnus of Florida State University. The search process shall be as described in Rule 6C2-6.011, Florida Administrative Code. The President of Florida State University has the final responsibility for the selection of the Scholar designated to occupy the Eminent Scholar Chair.
1. Professor Emerita/Emeritus
By action of the Faculty Senate, the title "Professor Emeritus" may be assigned to a retired, tenured member of the faculty upon due consideration of service to The Florida State University and upon recommendation by the academic dean, supported by the department, and school or college, and approved by the President. Recommendation for emeritus status shall be transmitted by the dean of the appropriate unit through the Dean of the Faculties to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and the President of the University.
2. Dean Emerita/Emeritus
Upon approval of the President of the University, the title "Dean Emeritus" may be assigned to a faculty member who is completing service as the dean of a college or school or in one of the University-wide deanships in the Division of Academic Affairs. "Dean Emeritus" is an honorific title which recognizes outstanding service to Florida State University and its academic programs. The title is awarded upon completion of the deanship and is retained upon retirement of the faculty member from the University. Under separate procedures established by the Faculty Senate (see above), faculty members holding the "Dean Emeritus" title are also eligible for designation as "Professor Emeritus" upon retirement.
Recommendations for designation as "Dean Emeritus" of a college or school originate with the faculty of the college or school and are transmitted through the Dean of the Faculties to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and the President for approval. For the University- wide deanships in the Division of Academic Affairs, recommendations are originated by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs with the advice and consent of the Faculty Senate Committee most closely related to the function of the deanship and transmitted through the Office of the Dean of the Faculties to the President for approval.
The "Dean Emeritus" title shall be appropriately indicated in the catalog listing of faculty members holding the title.