Lists of award recipients from both schools»

2022 - Karen Gavigan and Laura Thorp
2019 - Dick Kawooya  and Cocky
2018 - Jill Chappell-Fail and Vanessa Kitzie
2017 -  Clayton Copeland and Christine Shelek
2016 - Heather Moorefield-Lang and Angela Wright
2015 - Susan Rathbun-Grubb and George Shaw, Jr. 
2014 - Lewis Zeigler and Feili Tu-Keefner 

This award recognizes a staff member whose innovative spirit and commitment to service has enhanced the CIC's impact. 

Eligibility: Nominees must be CIC staffers employed for a minimum of one year.

Who can nominate: CIC staffers, faculty, administrators and students may submit Impact Award nominations.

How to nominate: https://form.jotform.com/uofsc_cmcis/cic-impact-award-nominations

Nomination deadline: 5 pm April 3, 2023

Questions? Please contact Kara Law

Recipients:
2020 – Pierre D'Autel
2021 – Michaela Taylor, Laura Thorp and Camea Cato
2022 – Art Farlowe
2023 – Rebecca Boyd
2024 - J.Scott Parker; Jill Chappell-Fail (honorable mention)

This award recognizes faculty, staff and student organizations whose contributions best exemplify the college’s diversity, equity and inclusion commitments and objectives. The Inclusive Excellence Award will be given annually to a faculty member, staff member, and/or student organization based on the criteria below.  

The primary criteria for the award are as follows:

• Promotion of policies of equity and inclusiveness.
• Advocacy for underrepresented and marginalized groups.
• Champion recruitment and retention efforts to improve diversity among faculty, staff and students.
• Development of diversity, equity and inclusion courses, programming and other initiatives.

Eligibility:

• Any full-time faculty and staff member within the College of Information and Communications with at least one year of experience in the CIC may be nominated.  
• Any official CIC student organization at the undergraduate or graduate level.
• Individuals and organizations may self-nominate.
• Those whose principal job responsibilities involve Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, School of Information Science and CIC are not eligible for this award.

How to nominate: Submit a letter of application that describes the nominee’s role in the CIC. Include a narrative that describes the nominee’s contributions that advance diversity, equity and awareness in the college or two schools based on the award criteria. Please send the nomination to CJ Faulk.

Nomination deadline: 

Questions? Please contact Shirley Carter, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Recipients:
2024 - Augie Grant and PRSSA
2023 - Denise McGill

This award recognizes a faculty member who excels in research and scholarship and utilizes a synergistic approach to promote and inspire excellence in research or creative scholarship and perform these activities beyond the scope of their expected duties. The award acknowledges exceptional achievements and contributions to the CIC, university and/or surrounding communities.

Eligibility: CIC Associate or Full Professor

Nomination deadline: 

Questions? Please contact Linwan Wu

Recipients:
2024 - Jungmi Jun
2023 - Vanessa Kitzie
2021 - Sei-Hill Kim
2020 - Shannon Bowen

This faculty award is for a record of research, creative and/or scholarly work that exceeds expectations in the field, demonstrates exceptional potential, and makes clear contributions to research and scholarship during a short time at USC. This award acknowledges contribution to the CIC and university.

Eligibility: CIC Assistant Professor

How to nominate: Please see attached

Nomination deadline: 

Questions? Please contact Linwan Wu

Recipients:
2024 - Jabari Evans and Jenna Spiering
2023 - Brett Robertson
2022 - Taylor Wen and Ehsan Mohammadi
2021 - Linwan Wu
2020 - Amir Karami

The CIC Staff Spotlight Award (SSA) celebrates the exceptional contributions of staff members who exemplify excellence in the workplace. Recognizing their extraordinary achievements, dedication to teamwork, and ability to inspire excellence in others, the SSA highlights individuals whose significant accomplishments have propelled the advancement of university, college, and school goals. 

Throughout the year, four outstanding employees will be honored with this award. Recipients will be announced in August, October, December, and February, acknowledging their impactful contributions made in the preceding months. The SSA serves as a testament to the invaluable role staff play in fostering a culture of excellence within the College of Information and Communications. 

Who can Nominate: 

• Nominations will be solicited from all faculty, staff, CIC staff affiliates, administrators, adjuncts and temporary employees.
• Self-nomination is allowed. 

Eligible Employees:
To be eligible for consideration, an employee must meet the following criteria: 

• Must be an FTE staff member affiliated with the CIC (includes development and advising staff).
• The nominee must have at least one year of continuous service includes those who may have transitioned into a different role) within the CIC as of the date of nomination.
• The nominee may not have received the award within the past 12 months.
• The nominee must be in good standing as evidenced by a performance evaluation rating of Successful or higher.
• No disciplinary action in the past twelve (12) months. 

Nomination Criteria:
Nominees for this award should have demonstrated a combination of the following: 

1. Exhibits high levels of loyalty and enthusiasm in their role.
2. Shows Initiative, Responsibility, and Resourcefulness.
3. Outstanding skills and service within or outside the college.
4. Exhibiting an extraordinary ability to foster collaboration, communication, and cooperation among colleagues and university constituents.
5. Clearly demonstrates respect for and earning the respect of colleagues, students and administrators.
6. Shows willingness to offer support, assistance and encouragement to co-workers, often without being asked to do so.
7. Works with others to achieve a shared goal -- sharing knowledge, learning and building consensus. 

The Staff Spotlight Award winner will receive the following:

• Certificate
• Name displayed on CIC digital signage, and
• Announced on the CIC webpage, social media and “CIC This Week” email. 

Nomination Process:

• Nominations must be submitted through the designated JotForm.
• Nominations should include: 
  • Name, email and role of the nominator.
  • Name, email and division of the nominee.
  • The nominee has demonstrated a combination of the listed criteria (select all that apply).
  • Rationale for why the individual deserves the honor (500 words or less).Must specify how the nominee has demonstrated a combination of the listed criteria.
  • Provide an example. 

Nomination Schedule: 

Call for Nominations	Nomination Deadline	Announcement of Award
Early August	August 20	Late August
Early October	October 20	Late October
Mid November	December 1	Mid December
Early February	February 20	Late February

 

Recipients:
2013 - Van Kornegay '81
2011 - Ken Baldwin '49
2010 - Jay Bender '70
2009 - Bonnie Drewniany
2008 - W. Lee Bussell '82
2007 - Bud Tibshrany '76

The School of Information Science recognizes excellence in teaching by faculty through two different teaching awards: the Faculty Teaching Award and Adjunct Faculty Teaching Award.

Eligibility: Nominees for the Faculty Teaching Award must be full-time faculty in the iSchool. Nominees for the adjunct teaching award must adjuncts who have recently taught for the iSchool.

Nomination deadline: 5 p.m., April 6, 2023. Apply now

Recipients:
2024 - Jenna Spiering

This award recognizes an individual who has made exceptional contributions to the school at large through a sharing of their time and expertise and is an outstanding representative of the profession, the school and the university.

Recipients:
2024 - Kim Thompson
2023 - Jeanna Holmes
2022 - Karen Gavigan
2021 - Laura Thorp
2019 - Tommy Preston Jr.
2018 - Elizabeth Miller
2017 - Nonie Price
2016 - Fred Roper
2015 - Cathi Cooper Mack
2014 - Jane K. Olsgaard
2013 - Drs. Bruce & Lee Foundation
2012 - Jack Bryan 

The Mary Caldwell Excellence in Teaching Award is awarded annually to an SJMC faculty member for outstanding teaching.  The award is presented at the School’s annual Alumni Awards event in the Fall semester. The winner receives a $1500 monetary award.

ELIGIBILITY:
All full-time, regular faculty members are eligible for the award.  The Director of the School, the Dean of the College and visiting professors are not eligible.  A previous recipient is not be eligible to win the award for two consecutive years following the prior award.

SELECTON PROCESS:
In the annual performance review process during the Spring semester, the T&P Committee will evaluate the teaching records of tenured and tenure-track faculty (with the exception of full professors) to identify the files of any faculty who have demonstrated superior teaching in their annual performance reviews.  Those teaching files will then be referred to the Caldwell teaching award committee (defined below). The Director will follow a parallel process in evaluating and identifying instructors and full professors who have demonstrated superior teaching.

The Caldwell teaching award committee will then review the teaching files of those nominated by the T&P Committee and/or the Director to determine (by majority vote) if a faculty member’s record is of such outstanding merit that she/he should be chosen for the Caldwell teaching award. Only one award shall be given in a calendar year.  The committee may elect not to make the award in any given year.

MEMBERS OF THE CALDWALL TEACHING AWARD COMMITTEE:

The Caldwell teaching award committee will consist of three, full-time faculty members.  The Director of the School and the Dean of the College are not eligible to serve on the committee.  The School’s three Mungo Award recipients will comprise the committee for 2016. Each year subsequent, one of the initial committee members will cycle off the committee to be replaced by the most recent award recipient.  This same pattern of the longest-serving committee member rotating off the committee each year will continue. If there is no award winner in a given year, the composition of the committee will remain the same until a new award-winner becomes eligible.

CRITERIA:
Candidates will use the teaching criteria outlined in the School’s T&P guidelines:

• Receipt of teaching awards.
• Receipt of faculty development grants to support innovations in teaching.
• Peer and student evaluation of teaching.
• Publication of teaching materials, whether in printed form, multimedia or other computer-based instruction, regardless of the medium of presentation.
• Mentorship contributing to receipt of student awards and/or honors. The faculty member should explain the extent of his or her contribution.
• Supervision of student work leading to presentation and or publication. The faculty member should explain the extent of his or her contribution.
• Advisement of Doctoral dissertations and Masters theses.
• Work in professional positions in the mass communications industry during summers or leave time or, with the approval of the Director, part-time during regular term.
• Development and management of seminars and workshops for colleagues who want to enhance or improve their teaching skills.
• Appointment or election to leadership roles in teaching-related activities of professional associations.
• Development or enrichment of new courses or programs.
• Requests to instruct seminar sessions for academic or professional associations.
• Requests to serve as a visiting teacher at another institution.

The School’s required course evaluations from students and evaluations from unit colleagues are an important documentation of teaching quality. Subjective evaluations obtained in interviews with students and alumni or in letters solicited from them may be included. Evaluations from unit colleagues may also be included.

Recipients:
2023 - Kelly Davis, senior instructor
2022 - Leigh Moscowitz, 
2020 - Randy Covington, Director of Special Projects
2018 - August Grant, J. Rion McKissick Professor of Journalism
2017 - Scott Farrand, Senior Instructor
2016 - Lisa Sisk, Senior Instructor
2015 - Erik Collins