Student choice awards deadline for nominating their favorite professor is Friday

The Excellence in Teaching Award Committee and the Student Government Association are sponsoring the Student Choice Awards, which allow students to nominate their favorite professor and have that professor’s name on a plaque along with receiving $250.

The Student Choice Awards is distinct from other teaching awards as it is completely student-driven, while the regular Excellence in Teaching Awards solicits nominations from community members, faculty, staff and students. It also evaluates peer and student recommendations, teaching philosophy and student opinion survey scores.

Students can take a survey on surveymonkey.com and nominate their favorite professors for the award. Nominations must be submitted before Friday. Student representatives from the ETAC committee will review the nominations and decide the winning professor on a point system, with each question getting a certain number of points. The professor with the most points will win the award.

Katy Steklac, a Chelsea senior and student representative of the ETAC committee, said the Student Choice Awards might be more meaningful to faculty than other awards.

“I think it’s cool to have a completely student-driven award,” Steklac said. “Teachers don’t get a lot of credit for what they do. Knowing this award comes fully from students — that means a lot of them.”

Adrian junior Aaron Scheich, who serves as a student member of the ETAC academic committee representing the Leadership Institute as well as the School of Health Professions, said student opinion is the most accurate way to evaluate faculty.

“Students are the only ones who can submit a nomination, and I feel that is the most real and authentic representation of the faculty’s performance,” Scheich said.

Scheich said the awards will allow students to become more involved in the academic process.

“I believe that students should take more responsibility for the quality of the education many are paying thousands of dollars to obtain,” Scheich said. “And effective faculty that make that a reality should be recognized.”