Society for the Teaching of Psychology: Division 2 of the American Psychological Association

Excellence in Teaching Awards

The Excellence in Teaching Awards were inaugurated in 1979. Pusateri (2020) reviews the establishment of each award, the naming of awards, changes to the criteria for each award, and the growth of the Fund for Excellence.

Fund for Excellence

The Fund for Excellence is an endowment fund that devotes its earnings to supporting the STP Excellence in Teaching Awards and other awards and grants programs. The Fund's assets are derived entirely from donations from generous individuals and organizations that seek to promote and recognize excellence in the teaching of psychology.  Korn (2009) describes the establishment of the Fund.

To contribute online, click here.  Or you can mail your donation to:

Jeff Holmes, STP Treasurer
Dept. of Psychology
Ithaca College
953 Danby Rd.
Ithaca, NY, 14850

Email:  jholmes@ithaca.edu

Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law. 

2022 Recipients

Each year, STP’s Committee on Teaching Awards reviews applications and selects recipients for the Excellence in Teaching Awards in six categories. This year’s award winners will be honored during STP’s 2023 Annual Conference on Teaching (October 5-7, Portland, OR).

STP Committee on Teaching Awards congratulates the outstanding teachers of psychology who are recipients of this year’s awards:

    • Adjunct Award:
      Jennifer Houston, Ph.D.
      Florida International University


    • Robert S. Daniel Award (4-year college):
      Loreto Prieto, Ph.D.
      Iowa State University


    • Jane S. Halonen Teaching Excellence Award (early career):
      Xiaomeng (Mona) Xu, Ph.D.
      Idaho State University


    • Wilbert J. McKeachie Teaching Excellence Award (graduate student):
      Melanie Maimon, M.S.
      Rutgers University  


    • Mary Margaret Moffett Memorial Teaching Excellence Award (high school): 
      Casey Swanson, M.A.
      Plymouth High School


    • Wayne Weiten Teaching Excellence Award (2-year college): 
      Jason Spiegelman, M.A.
      Community College of Baltimore County


        Call for Applications for the 2023 Awards

        The Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP; Division 2 of the American Psychological Association) announces its 2023 awards program for outstanding teachers of psychology. Consistent with our Mission Statement and the Statement on Addressing Systemic Racism and Inequity in STP, we encourage applications from colleagues who are from underrepresented groups and have diverse backgrounds and experiences.

        Teaching awards of $1500 and a plaque are bestowed for outstanding performance in each of six categories:

        • Robert S. Daniel Teaching Excellence Award (4-year colleges or universities)
        • Wayne Weiten Teaching Excellence Award (2-year colleges)
        • Mary Margaret Moffett Memorial Teaching Excellence Award (High school)
        • Jane S. Halonen Teaching Excellence Award (First 10 years of full-time teaching at any level)
        • Wilbert J. McKeachie Teaching Excellence Award (Graduate student)
        • Adjunct Faculty Teaching Excellence Award

        Applicants are eligible to apply for only one award each year. Applicants should be currently teaching. The applicant (and nominator, where appropriate) must compile all documentation in support of the application. Responsibility for accumulating supporting documentation cannot be assumed by the STP Awards Committee. 

        Winners will be notified in advance. The awards will be presented during a special STP ceremony to be held in a public manner appropriate for the prestige of the award. A travel grant of up to $1500 is available if the winner does not have travel funds from other sources. If a winner cannot attend the ceremony, STP will appoint a representative to make the presentation at the winner's home campus at a time convenient to the winner.

        First-time applicants who do not receive an award will be contacted by the Chair of the committee during the following fall, at which time they may opt to have their applications rolled over to the next award year. Applicants whose status has changed may not be eligible to roll over their application from the previous year into the same category (e.g., graduate students who graduated would no longer be eligible for the McKeachie award). Applicants may update their materials before the next deadline. If, after being held over for another year, applicants do not win an award, they may update their materials and re-submit them in the appropriate category. Applicants who do not opt to roll over their applications will not be reviewed the subsequent year. 

        Electronic materials will NOT be returned after the review process.

        The deadline for submissions is January 15 of the award year.

        For more information contact Jess Kraybill, Chair, STP Teaching Excellence Committee (teaching-awards@teachpsych.org).

        Application Criteria

        You may download the application criteria and instructions that are specific to each of the awards in PDF format:

        Materials to be submitted

        1. Cover sheet (prepared by the applicant) that includes: 

        Applicant’s name, address, telephone number, and email address;
        Category of award for which the person is applying

        • Wayne Weiten Teaching Excellence Award (2-year college)
        • Mary Margaret Moffett Memorial Teaching Excellence Award (high school)
        • Wilbert J. McKeachie Teaching Excellence Award (graduate student)
        • Jane S. Halonen Teaching Excellence Award (early career)
        • Robert S. Daniel Award (4-year college)
        • Adjunct Award
          Nominator’s name, address, telephone number, and email address (in the event of self-nominations, this is not necessary); 
          Name and address of who (Department Head, Principal, Supervisor) should be informed if the applicant wins the STP Teaching Award; 
          Specific teaching duties
          A short (1 to 2 page) summary of the evidence being presented and its bearing on each criterion for the award.

            2. Evidence of STP membership for 2023 (e.g., include a PDF of membership card, available at https://teachpsych.org/Sys/Profile).

            3. Current curriculum vitae that includes:

            educational history of applicant
            professional work history
            membership in professional organizations
            previous recognition or awards
            publications and presentation, and participation in professional development activities or conferences (e.g., as presenter or attendee). 

              4. Letters of recommendation from at least three (3), but not more than five (5), persons, each of whom can speak to the qualifications of the applicant in light of the appropriate criteria. (Note:  Letter writers are not required to be STP members.  The applicant collects and includes the letters in the submission packet.)

              5. Statement of teaching philosophy (a maximum of two double-spaced pages).

              6. Evidence to illustrate award criteria, with a brief narrative (limited to 500 words) for each criterion presented.

              Instructions for applicants to submit these materials (Requires login)

              List of Past Award Recipients: 1980-present

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