Call for Nash Prize Nominations

The Davis Faculty Association, Davis Division of the Academic Senate, the Academic Federation and the Nash family invite nominations of candidates for The Charles P. Nash Prize for the academic year 2012 – 2013.

The Charles P. Nash Prize is designed to reward exceptional achievement and commitment in promoting shared governance and advocacy for faculty interests and welfare.

The Prize is awarded annually to a member of the UC Davis Academic Senate, the Davis Faculty Association, or the Academic Federation whose actions demonstrate an exceptional and extended commitment to shared governance and/or promoting faculty interests by ensuring equitable treatment of faculty. In the spirit of Charlie Nash, such activity must be above and beyond normal committee assignments or academic obligations, typically, spanning a period of time or one’s career.

Nominations are sought from any member of the academic community: students, faculty, staff, alumni, departments or units. Eligibility: All members of the Academic Federation, Academic Senate and Davis Faculty Association who have not previously won the award are eligible. Previous nominees who have not received the award may be renominated. Current Nash Prize Selection Committee Members are ineligible for nomination.

The Charles P. Nash Prize is designed to reward exceptional achievement in the spirit of Charlie Nash. Examples of Charlie Nash’s achievements included:

  • Using the machinery of the faculty governance process, often invoking the mechanisms of Academic Senate committees, to achieve equity for individual faculty members
  • Making certain that the machinery of shared governance works well, both structurally and functionally
  • Contributing to analysis of shared governance, such as the “Mending the Wall” report (http://academicsenate.ucdavis.edu/documents/shared_governance_report.pdf)
  • Working with others to craft the Nash-Goldman report which made recommendations for changes in the personnel policy for Academic Federation employees (http://academicpersonnel.ucdavis.edu/acadfed/nashgoldmanreport.cfm)
  • Supporting legislation that allows faculty to assign their own texts and protect their intellectual property rights (www.ucdfa.org/nash.htm)
  • Mentoring and advising faculty to guide them in “finding their way thru the merit and promotion briar patch,” as well as assisting them with their personnel cases within their departments and with the Academic Senate Committee on Academic Personnel
  • Serving for many years in a leadership capacity on faculty committees to advocate for faculty interests, including:
  • Chair of the Davis Faculty Association board
  • Vice President of External Affairs on the CUCFA board
  • Chair of the Davis Division Academic Senate (2 terms)

The annual prize will be awarded in a public ceremony and will include a monetary honorarium.  There is no restriction on the prize recipient with regard to the use of the prize.

Nominations should be addressed to: The Nash Prize Selection Committee. Letters of nomination accompanied by a one-page list of relevant accomplishments must be submitted electronically. Send your nomination materials to nashprize@ucdavis.edu.

Deadline for Nominations: All nominations must be received electronically by 5:00 PM, Friday, February 1, 2013. Questions may be addressed to the committee chair (imkennedy@ucdavis.edu).

The Committee will rely upon material presented to it; therefore it is important that the letter and list make the best case possible within the space limitation.

The Nash Prize Selection Committee will review the nominations and will select a recipient from the original slate of candidates. The Committee is permitted to select one recipient for each academic year.

Sincerely,
2012-2013 Nash Prize Selection Committee
Ian Kennedy (Chair)
Christophe Morisseau
Krishnan Nambiar
Scott Shershow