Outstanding Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Awards

Office of the Vice Provost for Research

Outstanding Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Awards

The Office of the Vice Provost for Research is pleased to give awards to honor outstanding research faculty and staff at East Tennessee State University. Please see the list of awards below for descriptions and eligibility. Awardees will be vetted and selected by the University Research Council, and awards will be presented at the annual Celebration of Research on October 16, 2025.  

  • Distinguished Research Staff Award

    Award Description: This award recognizes the valuable contributions of a research staff member with at least three years of service in a research support capacity at ETSU whose significant efforts go above and beyond their day-to-day responsibilities. Research staff is a broad field, and a research staff member may support research at any stage of the research spectrum, from identification of funding opportunities to intellectual property management.

    Eligibility: Full-time staff members with primary responsibilities in research administration and employed by any unit, center, department, or office of ETSU.

    Prize: $2,000

    Nomination Process and Materials:

    • The following nomination materials are required and should be uploaded as a single PDF within Qualtrics:
    • Nomination letter (1-2 pages) clearly describing the evidence and impact of the nominee’s work on their field of study.
  • ETSU Creative Arts & Humanities Scholar Award

    Award Description: This award recognizes the outstanding research and scholarship contributions of an ETSU faculty member whose body of work falls within the disciplines of the arts and the humanities as defined by the National Academy of Arts & Sciences. The impact of the nominee’s body of work in the discipline should be significant and establish the nominee as a leader in their field.  

    Eligibility: Any full-time faculty member at any rank who has been at ETSU for at least three years.

    Prize: $2,000 

    Nomination Process and Materials:

    • The following nomination materials are required and should be uploaded as a single PDF within Qualtrics:
    • Nomination letter (1-2 pages) clearly describing the evidence and impact of the nominee’s work on their field of study.
    • Nominee’s curriculum vitae (CV).
  • Outstanding Faculty Scholar Award

    Award Description: This award recognizes outstanding research, scholarship, and/or creative activity (RSCA) productivity and disciplinary impact for ETSU faculty in non-tenure track positions. Nominations for this award should describe the impact of the RSCA on the nominee’s field of study and focus on RSCA accomplished at ETSU.

    Eligibility: Any full-time, non-tenure track, faculty member who has been at ETSU for at least 3 years.  Postdoctoral researchers are not eligible.

    Prize: $2,000 

    Nomination Process and Materials:

    • The following nomination materials are required and should be uploaded as a single PDF within Qualtrics:
    • Nomination letter (1-2 pages) clearly describing the evidence and impact of the nominee’s work on their field of study.
    • Nominee’s curriculum vitae (CV).


  • ETSU Early Career Scholar Award

    Award Description: This award recognizes the scholarly achievements of junior faculty whose research, creative activities, and scholarly achievements indicate an aggressive trajectory toward an exceptional, sustained research career. Nominations should clearly describe the quality and promise of the work and the evidence that the quality and quantity of research productivity will continue to rise as the nominee’s career progresses. 

    Eligibility: Assistant Professors who have been at ETSU for at least three years. 

    Prize: $2,000

    Nomination Process and Materials:

    • The following nomination materials are required and should be uploaded as a single PDF within Qualtrics:
      • Nomination letter (1-2 pages) clearly describing the evidence and impact of the nominee’s work on their field of study.
      • Dean/Director nomination letter (≤2 pages) to include:
        • Nominee name, rank, and date of faculty appointment at ETSU,
        • Summary of nominee’s qualifications, including specific examples of how they meet the criteria for this award. Evidence will vary by discipline but may include publications, performances, inventions, awards, etc.
      • Nominee’s curriculum vitae (CV).
  • Public Impact and Engagement Award

    Award Description: This award recognizes ETSU research, scholarship, and creative activity
    that emphasizes community engagement, addresses significant societal needs to improve the lives of people in our region and beyond, and demonstrates exceptional public impact. The public benefit of this project could be local, national, or global.  

    Eligibility: Any full-time faculty member at any rank who has been at ETSU for at least three years.

    Prize: $2,000 

    Nomination Process and Materials:

    • The following nomination materials are required and should be uploaded as a single PDF within Qualtrics:
      • Nomination letter (1-2 pages) clearly describing the evidence and impact of the nominee’s work specific to the award description.
      • One letter from a community organization that has worked with the nominee or team on the project.