CUES Distinguished Fellowships aim to acknowledge and advance faculty scholarship and innovation in university education.
Prior to submitting a proposal, eligible faculty must be nominated by their college or primary unit of affiliation whenever such a unit is not housed under a college. Each college or unit is limited to two nominations per cycle. Nominating units are encouraged to hold internal competitions to select nominees.
Selection as a CUES Distinguished Fellow requires a competitive project and research study proposal the nominee will conduct over their funding period. Nominees’ proposals must contribute to educational scholarship and address innovation and/or grand challenges in university education aligned with the CUES mission.
>>> Read about our Fellows and their projects
Proposal preparation support
Engaging with the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL): Signature Workshop Series
This in-person workshop series, open to faculty and the U of A community, aims to support SoTL project design at our institution, particularly through proposals for CUES Distinguished Fellowships.
Session 1 | THU, JAN 30, 2025, 1-3 PM
Session 2 | THU, FEB 6, 2025, 1-3 PM
Session 3 | THU, FEB 27, 2025, 1-3 PM
SPRING 2025 | Virtual drop-in office hours with CUES:
TUE, FEB 4, 12-1 PM
MON, FEB 17, 10-11 AM
TUE, MAR 4, 1-2 PM
THU, MAR 20, 12-1 PM
https://arizona.zoom.us/j/83917228113
Anyone considering or supporting a future Distinguished Fellowships nomination or Spanning Boundaries proposal is encouraged to stop by the drop-in office hours to ask a question, get feedback on a project idea, or learn more about CUES funding opportunities and themed workshops.
CUES will fund up to four fellows per cycle. Awardees will each receive the title of CUES Distinguished Fellow and a grant of up to $20,000 annually for up to three years. The title of CUES Distinguished Fellow remains in perpetuity.
Funding for the CUES Distinguished Fellowships is made possible through a generous gift from an anonymous donor who values Arizona’s faculty exceptional commitment to improving teaching and learning on our campus.
March 31, 2025: Nominations due by 11:59 PM (AZ Time) through Arizona Cultivate.
A review committee will meet before the end of the Spring 2025 semester to discuss their reviews and make recommendations. CUES will communicate selections to the nominees, deans, and department heads.
- Affiliation. Nominees must be University of Arizona faculty employees who are tenured, tenure-track, continuing-status, continuing-status track, or career-track, as listed in the Arizona system.
- Nomination. Prior to submitting a proposal, eligible faculty must be nominated by their college or primary unit of affiliation whenever such a unit is not housed under a college. Each college or unit is limited to two nominations per cycle. Nominating units are encouraged to hold internal competitions to select nominees.
- Proposal. Selection as a CUES Distinguished Fellow requires a competitive project and research study proposal the nominee will conduct over their funding period. Nominees’ proposals must contribute to educational scholarship and address innovation and/or grand challenges in university education aligned with the CUES mission. (See Submission Details for more information.)
- Additional Qualifications. Nominees will have demonstrated excellence in and commitment to raising the value and quality of the learning experience at U of A, with particular focus on educational scholarship, educational innovation, or educational grand challenges. Nominees will also demonstrate promise to advance the scholarship of teaching and learning through their proposed project and lead broader engagement activities.
- Innovation
Examples of evidence of prior excellence include: awards for exceptional teaching, successful implementation of innovative assessments of student learning, documented use of evidence-based instructional strategies, records of curriculum innovations leading to improved learning for all students - Scholarship
Examples of evidence of prior excellence in the scholarship of teaching and learning include: journal articles, poster presentations, book chapters, seminars, invited talks - Grand Challenge, defined as a cross-disciplinary educational challenge, beyond an individual class, with potential to enhance the quality of education at our University
Examples of evidence of prior excellence include: documentation of involvement in multi-disciplinary teaching and learning improvement projects, leadership on large grants with reports of project outcomes, documentation of roles in collaborative campus-wide education initiatives - Broader Engagement
Examples may include but are not limited to: leading a Faculty Learning Community on an emerging educational grand-challenge, assisting colleagues in investigating teaching and learning challenges in their classrooms, leading a national effort to practice evidence-based teaching
- Innovation
Be prepared to submit the following materials in PDF format. (Either the nominee or their nominating college/unit may submit the complete package.)
- Project and study proposal. Up to four single-spaced pages (including references) addressing,
- Description of the problem, gap, or issue to be tackled and studied by the nominee, including its value, importance and alignment with the CUES mission. A clear articulation of how the project and study will contribute to educational scholarship, address educational innovation, and/or a grand challenge in university education is strongly encouraged.
- Anticipated impact and expected outcomes of the project and study, including appropriateness of the project duration (two or three years).
Description of project and study design1, including:
- Central research question(s) driving the project and study
- Overall study design, including activities, benchmarks, and timeline2
- Specific study methods, including data collection and analysis, as appropriate
- Expected contribution to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in university education
- Campus-wide and extramural dissemination plans
1Note: In preparing the proposal, please consider consulting a source such as Chapter 3 in Bishop-Clark & Dietz-Uhler's book, Engaging in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning : A Guide to the Process, and How to Develop a Project From Start to Finish, available at U of A Libraries.
2Note: If your study requires an IRB, it must be approved by the end of the first semester of funding.
- Evidence of educational scholarship and innovation. Up to one single-spaced page (narrative style, please) describing evidence of the nominee’s current or past educational scholarship, educational innovation, or work addressing an educational grand challenge. Addressing a nominee’s promise to advance scholarship in teaching and learning is encouraged.
- Budget. A detailed breakdown of how CUES funds will be used, using the budget sheet provided below.
- CV. An abridged version (4 pages maximum) of the nominee’s most current curriculum vitae.
- Letters of support. A minimum of two letters* (each a maximum of two pages), including:
- (Required) Dean's Letter of Nomination (see guidelines below)
- (Required) Department Head's Letter of Support (see guidelines below)
The Dean’s and Head’s letters should each address two points:
a. the practical or intellectual value of the proposed project to the nominee’s department or unit
b. the specific forms of support to be provided by the nominee’s department or unit should the project be funded (e.g., additional funds, release from committee assignments, teaching release, space for a graduate student, an additional teaching assistant, support from departmental staff members)
* The two required letters may be combined into a single letter of nomination and support signed by a nominee’s Dean and Department Head. If the nominating unit is not a college, a letter from the nominating unit lead may replace the Dean’s letter.
- (Highly Encouraged) Colleague’s/Peer’s Letter of Support. This letter should address the value and potential contributions of a nominee’s proposed project and study from the lens of an expert in the nominee’s discipline or project’s focus. Such a letter, when available, may serve to lend perspective to the cross-disciplinary review committee.
- (Encouraged, as needed) Collaborator’s Letter of Support. This letter should address a stakeholder’s willingness to collaborate with, partner with, or participate in a nominee’s proposed project and study. Such a letter is highly encouraged for proposals whose value or goals are premised on such synergies.
Nominations due on March 31, 2025 by 11:59pm
For questions about the CUES Distinguished Fellowship program, please contact: