Mary BoyteAs the Ole Miss campus returns to its routine following the winter break, the time-honored Elsie M. Hood award returns alongside it. Nominations for the 2022 Elsie M. Hood award are open and will be accepted until March 1.
The Elsie M. Hood award has been recognizing outstanding associate, assistant and full professors since 1966. According to Matthew Reysen, the chair of the Elsie M. Hood award committee, the purpose of the award is to “recognize and reward superior teaching here at Ole Miss.”
Each year, students and fellow faculty members may nominate an eligible professor. Winners receive a prize of $5,000 and the honor of having their name added to the past recipients on a plaque in the chancellor’s office.
Students and faculty can submit their nominations through an online form or by emailing chancellor@olemiss.edu. The online form provides a list of eligible professors. With either method, nominations must include a letter stating why the professor deserves to receive the award. Letters should include examples of exceptional teaching.
In the fall of 1965, the faculty senate proposed the idea of the Elsie M. Hood Award to Chancellor J.D. Williams. A committee was formed to review nominations, and the first recipient received their award in the spring semester of the same academic year. Today, the committee includes eight previous recipients, a student representative and the director of Alumni Affairs.
Reysen reflected on how difficult it can be to choose one recipient out of several wonderful candidates.
“There are a number of outstanding instructors here at the university, which makes it difficult to select a single winner each year,” he said.
The difficulty found in the selection process is evidence of the careful consideration the committee takes each year when selecting an appropriate winner.
“Some factors that previous winners share is a track record of outstanding teaching as evidenced by an analysis of student teaching evaluations and nominations for the award,” Reysen said.
Reysen is hopeful that this year’s winner will not be an exception and expressed his appreciation for those who take the time to nominate professors.
“We very much appreciate the time and effort that goes into nominating a deserving candidate for the award and are excited to have the opportunity to review this year’s nominations,” he said.
Winners are typically announced during the Honors and Awards Convocation ceremony in the spring.
Previous winners include:
Kelly G. Wilson, Psychology, 2010
Ethel Young-Minor, English, 2011
John O’Haver, Chemical Engineering, 2012
William Berry, Law Center, 2013
Ann Fisher-Wirth, English, 2014
Bob Brown, Political Science, 2015
John Czarnetzky, Law Center, 2016
John Rimoldi, BioMolecular Sciences, 2017
Ann Monroe, Teacher Education, 2018
John Young, Psychology, 2019
Matthew Reysen, Psychology, 2020
Patrick Alexander, English/African American Studies, 2021
