Fall 2025 Awards—call for applications and nominations

Dear colleagues,

The Office of the Provost is proud to offer a number of awards that recognize and honor Northwestern faculty members for their exemplary work as educators, researchers and colleagues. We are now accepting applications and nominations for the following three awards:

Alumnae of Northwestern University Award for Curriculum Innovation

The Award for Curriculum Innovation supports faculty innovations that enhance the undergraduate curriculum. Since its founding in 2014, this award has been turning bold ideas into new realities—redefining the boundaries of the classroom, igniting student curiosity and engagement, and reimagining new possibilities for learning and teaching. Learn more about applications. 

Daniel I. Linzer Award for Faculty Excellence in Service

The Linzer Award for Faculty Excellence in Service recognizes faculty exemplars who have performed extraordinary service that has had a positive impact on the University as an institution and on the members of the University community. Learn more about applications.   

Open Educational Resources (OER) Faculty Grant Award

The Affordable Instructional Resources (AIR) initiative invites faculty to apply for grants to adopt, adapt or create open educational resources (OER) for undergraduate courses. OER are free, openly licensed teaching materials that anyone can access, use and revise—helping reduce student costs and improving access to high-quality learning materials. Faculty who develop OER extend the reach of their teaching by sharing work that can be reused and built upon worldwide. Funded by the Office of the Provost and University Libraries, these grants support the time and effort involved in finding, creating and implementing OER. Learn more about applications.

The deadline for the award applications and nominations is Nov. 14, 2025, and winners will be announced in January. Please contact curriculumaward@northwestern.edu for questions about the Alumnae Award for Curriculum Innovation. For the Linzer Awards, contact provostawardsandgrants@northwestern.edu. For the OER Faculty Grant Award, contact Mackenzie Salisbury at msalisbury@northwestern.edu.

Later this month, we will reach out directly to the deans to solicit their nominations for our annual Teaching Awards.

Thank you for your continued dedication and excellence inside and outside of the classroom. We will share information about applications and nominations for additional awards and grants throughout the year.

Sincerely,

Sumit Dhar
Associate Provost for Faculty
Hugh Knowles Professor of Hearing Science 

Karen Smilowitz
Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
James N. and Margie M. Krebs Professor in Industrial Engineering and Management Science