Senate Award for Excellence in Research

A.  Purpose

The Senate Awards for Excellence in Research have been established to emphasize the importance of research at Brandon University and to recognize and honour those individuals who excel in scholarship and research. There are two award categories: Tier I and Tier II.

B.  The Award

A maximum of two awards will be presented annually at Spring Convocation: one Tier I and one Tier II award. The recipient(s) will be presented with a framed certificate signed by the President of the University, as Chair of Senate. A master plaque containing the names and department or Faculty/School affiliation of all recipients will be displayed in the Louis Riel Room. The recipient(s) shall also receive a research grant in the amount of $5,000 administered under Senate-approved policies and procedures, or a 3 credit hour teaching release for one academic year to be used within two years of receipt of the award, in consultation with the recipient, department, and Dean.

C.  Eligibility

Nominees for Tier II awards must

  • have completed a minimum of 3 years of employment at Brandon University and
  • hold the rank of assistant professor or PA II.

Nominees for Tier I awards must

  • have completed a minimum of 3 years employment at Brandon University and
  • hold the rank of associate professor, full professor, PA III, or PA IV.

Individuals may hold both awards over the duration of their career. A minimum of 10 years must have elapsed between awards. Additional significant research accomplishments are anticipated to have occurred in the interval between awards. Current Canada Research Chairs and research-amended appointments are not eligible.

In all cases when considering an applicant for this award, factors pertaining to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion will be considered.

D.  Criteria

Nominees shall provide a dossier to the Advisory Committee that demonstrates how the nominee meets the criteria. It shall include, in no particular order, the following:

  • a curriculum vitae addressing the criteria specified for the award, including a list of publications;
  • a summary statement, not to exceed two pages, describing how the nominee satisfies the selection criteria;
  • any other evidence such as previous recognition, awards, or grants that demonstrates merit, samples of peer reviewed articles, citation data for articles;
  • evidence of scholarly productivity and achievements throughout the nominee’s entire career, such as peer-reviewed papers, conference presentations, books, and other relevant publications;
  • at least three, but no more than five, one or two-page letters from colleagues (both at BU and elsewhere) and others supporting the nomination.

While excellence in research/scholarship should not be narrowly defined, recipients of the award will be expected to have gained national and/or international recognition through their research and scholarship. Recipients of the award will be expected to have also gained local and community research recognition and impact through their research and scholarship. Quality and originality of published or creative work will be deemed more important than quantity.

E.  Call for Nominations – November 1st

  • The Provost and Vice-President (Academic) shall notify the University community that nominations are being sought.
  • The Deans/Directors shall consult with their faculty and department chairs and, if appropriate, receive, solicit, and initiate nominations of suitable candidates.
  • Nominees must give their consent to being nominated.
  • Nominations must be submitted electronically to the applicable Dean by January 15th.

F.  Advisory Committee – called at the discretion of the Dean

Each Dean/Director of a unit in which there are nominations shall appoint and Chair an Advisory Committee consisting of at least two members representing at least two departments. If possible, the two members should be active researchers and should include a former recipient of the Senate Award for Excellence in Research.

The Committee will be responsible for selecting the faculty/school/unit nominee.

If there is a nominee, the Advisory Committee shall forward the completed dossier to the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) by February 1st.

G.  Senate Research Committee

The Senate Research Committee shall serve as the selection committee.

Note: With the exception of the chairs of the Advisory Committees, members of the Senate Research Committee may not serve on the Advisory Committees.

The Committee shall review the nominations forwarded by the Advisory Committees and, by applying the criteria to the information submitted for each nominee, may recommend one candidate. With the consent of the nominee, the Committee may choose to carry forward a nominee to the next competition. The recommendation to Senate is to be forwarded to the Senate Executive Committee by March 1st.

 

Revised Policy – Approved by Senate:  September 14, 2021
Approved by the Board of Governors:  September 24, 2021