Emerging Scholar Award

The Emerging Scholar Award program was launched in late 2006 to acknowledge the accomplishments of WMU faculty members who are among the rising stars in the U.S. higher education. This award recognizes the scholarly or creative achievements of outstanding colleagues whose accomplishments are evidence of great potential for scholarship or creative work. Eligible faculty are all those current, continuing, full-time, Board-appointed, tenured persons with faculty rank and in good standing, who were tenured no earlier than January 2020. Untenured faculty members are not eligible. A faculty member may be nominated in more than one year, but may win the award only one time.

Award Criteria

Scholarship or creative activity may be artistic, historical, literary, philosophical, scientific or technical. Current scholarly/creative achievement shall demonstrate:

  • Impact on the state of scholarship or advancement of knowledge in the discipline.
  • Impact beyond the discipline or on the general public.
  • Evidence of international professional recognition.
  • Evidence of outstanding promise to achieve renown in continuing work,

 

Contact Tonya Dean or email: faculty-development@wmich.edu with questions, comments, or concerns regarding the Emerging Scholar Award.

 

Nomination Procedure

Nominations are due Tuesday, April 1, 2025 for the 2025-26 Emerging Scholar Ward Award. Nominations must be submitted electronically through the webform (right).

Nominations may be made by any member of the University community. Self-nomination is acceptable.

Nomination materials

Nominations must comprise a current curriculum vitae (CV) and at least two letters of support, including one from outside the University. Nominators are asked to address specifically how the faculty member meets each of the criteria, and use appropriate headings to guide the reviewers. The letters should explain:

  1. the significance of the nominee鈥檚 research/creative achievements, in terms of impact on both the discipline and the general public and
  2. why current scholarship/creative activity portends renown in continuing work.

Incomplete nominations will not be considered.

  • 2024鈥擠aniel Macfarlane
  • 2023鈥擲hannon Locke McMorrow
  • 2022鈥擶endy Beane, Nicholas Hanson, and Charlie Kurth
  • 2021鈥擬egan Grunert Kowalske, Kristina Lemmer, Adam Mathews
  • 2020鈥擠ue to the conditions imposed by COVID-19 no nominations were accepted.
  • 2019鈥擡lena Litvinova
  • 2018鈥擬aria Selena O. Protacio
  • 2017鈥擥ellert Mezei
  • 2016鈥擩essaca Spybrook
  • 2015鈥擫uigi Berto
  • 2014鈥擣ritz Allhoff
  • 2013鈥擟hris L.S. Coryn, Michael A. Famiano, Kristina Wirtz
  • 2012鈥擩effery Angles, Charles Henderson, Sherine Obare
  • 2011鈥擡li Rubin
  • 2010鈥擸irong Mo, Bilinda Straight
  • 2009鈥擥. Michael Grammer, Takashi Yoshida
  • 2008鈥擪uanchin Chen, Jennifer Machiorlatti
  • 2007鈥擲tephen Covell, Igor Fedotov, David Huffman
  • 2006鈥擬itch Kachun, Carla M. Koretsky, Kirk T. Korista