H. Hiter Harris, Jr. Memorial Award
for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

2010 Nominations:
Deadline for nominations:  August 14, 2010
Announcement of Award:  November 5, 2010

Each VFIC Member College is invited to nominate one outstanding faculty member to be considered for this one Award, which will include funds to support the recipient’s research and professional development.

The key criteria to be considered will be the nominee’s professional history reflecting a strong, clear and abiding commitment to excellence in classroom teaching within the undergraduate liberal arts and sciences.

The Award is presented at the Leadership Luncheon ceremony in Richmond in November of each year.

For additional information, please contact Mary-Beth Johnson.

NOMINATION PROCESS

• For this Award, each Member College within the VFIC consortium may nominate one faculty member whose full focus is on teaching in the undergraduate liberal arts and sciences program of the institution.

• The Nomination Packet will consist of four parts:

1. A two-page “Letter of Nomination” from the Chief Academic Officer of the VFIC Member College, making the case for the candidate as a truly outstanding and highly respected professional with a deep and abiding commitment to the teaching / learning process.
2. Two letters “seconding” the nomination – One letter should be from a third party - e.g., department head, faculty colleague, and one letter from a current or former student – giving additional perspective on the Nominee’s remarkable work and impact as a teacher. Letters should be no more than two pages in length.
3. The Nominee’s curriculum vitae.
4. A personal statement by the Nominee, outlining his or her teaching philosophy.
5. To be considered, a Nomination Packet must arrive at the VFIC office on or before August 14, 2010.

Mailing address:
Harris Faculty Award Award Committee
Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges
8010 Ridge Road, Suite B
Richmond, VA 23229

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H. Hiter Harris, Jr. Award
for Excellence in Undergradate Teaching

2009 Recipient:
Dr. Lawrence D. Hultgren
Professor of Philosophy, Virginia Wesleyan College

(from left) H. Hiter Harris III, Mrs. H. Hiter Harris, Jr.,Dr. & Mrs. Hultgren and Jil Harris
as they celebrate with the 2009 Harris Faculty Award winner, Dr. Hultgren. The VFIC Richmond
Leadership Luncheon was held November 5, 2009 at the Virginia Historical Society.

2009 Harris Award press release

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2008 Recipient:
Dr. Arthur H. Goldsmith
Professor of Economics, Washington and Lee University

2008 Harris Award press release

About this Award:

The H. Hiter Harris, Jr. Award, which includes a stipend to support the recipient’s scholarly research or professional development activities, was created at the VFIC in 2008 through an endowment gift from the family of the late Hiter Harris, Jr., a leading Virginia banker who was a member of the VFIC’s Board from 1973 - 1998.

In announcing the creation of the Award, Hiter Harris III noted that “great teaching, and a personal commitment to student development, are attributes for which Virginia’s small private liberal arts colleges are known nationally. Our family wishes to highlight this very special component of the small private colleges by recognizing faculty members who truly exemplify these attributes.”  

The VFIC, founded in 1952, is a non-profit organization which raises funds and coordinates collaborative programs to strengthen fifteen leading private colleges and universities in Virginia:

The VFIC has generated over $128 million to strengthen Virginia’s private college sector, and is nationally recognized for the innovative projects and programs it has developed for these institutions.