Faculty Honors, Awards, and Grants
Northwestern’s close to 8,000 faculty members are leaders in their fields. They are Nobel Prize laureates, Tony Award winners, Guggenheim Fellows, and MacArthur Fellows. They continually push the boundaries of knowledge, explore new possibilities, and lead the world in their discoveries and accomplishments. Faculty are dedicated teachers, committed to excellence and innovation in the classroom. Faculty leaders support excellence at Northwestern through outstanding service and are essential to the University’s mission: Northwestern is committed to excellent teaching, innovative research, and the personal and intellectual growth of its students in a diverse academic community.
The Office of the Provost administers a number of awards to recognize and celebrate the achievements of our faculty members in research, teaching, and service. In addition, Provost Office grants support faculty innovation in their scholarly and creative work, in the classroom, and in promoting a diverse and equitable campus.
Excellence in Scholarship, Research, and Creative Work
- The Ver Steeg Fellowship recognizes tenured faculty whose research and scholarship enhance the reputation of Northwestern, both nationally and internationally.
- The Walder Award is annually awarded to a faculty member in any school or discipline for excellence in research.
- The Provost Grants for Research in Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts support excellence in faculty scholarly and creative work.
Excellence in Teaching
- The University Teaching Awards annually recognize and celebrate individual faculty members who have consistently demonstrated outstanding performance in classroom teaching, or who have developed significant innovations that have also influenced the methods and teaching effectiveness of other faculty.
- The Provost's Digital Learning Fellowships provide resources to faculty who experiment with innovative learning technologies.
Excellence in Service
- The Provost’s Awards for Exemplary Faculty Service recognize faculty for outstanding service to the Northwestern community and significant contributions to their unit and/or to the University.
Excellence in Diversity and Equity
- The Daniel I. Linzer Awards for Excellence in Diversity and Equity recognize faculty individuals or groups who are working collaboratively to build a more diverse, inclusive and equitable climate at Northwestern University.
- The Daniel I. Linzer Grants for Faculty Innovation in Diversity and Equity fund innovative and novel faculty practices that will enhance our mission of education and research through improved diversity and inclusion at Northwestern University.
Excellence in Innovation
- The Alumnae Award for Curriculum Innovation supports faculty work over the summer to develop innovative course materials, new courses, or new modes of teaching, including online education that will benefit our undergraduate students.
- The Daniel I. Linzer Grants for Faculty Innovation in Diversity and Equity fund innovative and novel faculty practices that will enhance our mission of education and research through improved diversity and inclusion at Northwestern University.
For other funding opportunities for faculty professional development, see information on Professional Travel Grants and other resources, including:
For funding support for lectures and conferences, see information on Speaker and Conference Funding from endowed lecture funds administered by the Office of the Provost.