Charge
The Awards Committee coordinates the review and selection for 15 TESOL awards and grants that have been approved by the TESOL Board of Directors, except the Presidents' Award, the TESOL Award for Distinguished Research, and the James E. Alatis Award for Service to TESOL. Committee members work with TESOL staff to publicize TESOL awards and grants and assist in raising money for TESOL's General Awards Fund. The president may charge the committee with additional related responsibilities.
Responsibilities
Committee members are expected to attend the annual convention and participate in all committee sessions. These meetings include one all-day session prior to the opening of the convention. In addition, each member agrees to announce award and grant recipients at a major convention session.
During the year, members agree to coordinate an award, a grant, or a special effort (e.g., publicity or the annual awards raffle). Coordination activities include
- recruiting volunteers to assist members in carrying out their designated duties
- serving as an award reviewer or reader (and in some cases as a tiebreaker)
- administering the award review process
- serving as a liaison between the committee and selected TESOL members, staff, and external groups (e.g., publishers or raffle contributors)
Although the committee is active throughout the year, it conducts the majority of its work between late September and the middle of December, because award deadlines and decisions occur during this time. Committee members are expected to write a report on their adjudication process and keep updated documents in the committee's library in the TESOL Community.
Qualifications
Committee membership is open to any member of TESOL. Special consideration, however, is given to members who can attend the annual convention and who have expressed an interest in serving on the committee. Past appointments have been made on the basis of responses to volunteer forms and from the pool of persons who have served as award reviewers. To the extent possible, the committee seeks to represent the diversity of TESOL by including members from different geographic regions, program levels, racial groups, and ethnolinguistic backgrounds.
Leadership, 2013-2014
Chair: Mark D. Johnson
Chair-Elect: Nancy Pederson
Past Chair: Mary E. Hillis
Board Liaison: Claire Bradin Siskin
Staff Liaison: Valerie Borchelt
For more information, visit the
Awards Committee page in the
TESOL Community.