The Walter Barnard Hill Awards recognize distinguished achievement in the public service and outreach programs of the University of Georgia. The Awards are named in honor of Chancellor Hill, who led the university from 1899 until 1905, and first articulated the university’s modern public service and outreach mission.

A maximum of five Hill Awards may be presented each year. Each awardee receives (1) a permanent salary increase beyond the raise provided through the normal allocation process (until the time of retirement from UGA), and (2) a medallion and a framed certificate to be awarded at a suitable ceremony. Funds for these awards come from the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach.

The following are eligible for nomination:

1. Faculty members and service professionals assigned for the last five years to the major public service and outreach units of the University that report directly to the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach including: Archway Partnership, Carl Vinson Institute of Government, Cooperative Extension, Fanning Institute, Georgia Center for Continuing Education Conference Center and Hotel, Marine Extension Service, Office of Service-Learning, Small Business Development Center, and The State Botanical Garden of Georgia.
2. Those faculty members in the schools and colleges, or other institutional units whose assignments and workloads (budgeted EFT is 51 percent or more) have focused significantly on public service and outreach for the last five years.

Each of the major public service and outreach units may submit one nomination with the exception that Cooperative Extension may submit up to five; the Georgia Center for Continuing Education and the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, up to three; and Small Business Development Center and the Fanning Institute, two. The schools, colleges, and other institutional units may submit two nominations each. Any school or college wishing to submit more than two nominations should contact the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach to determine if an exception may be granted.

The director or dean of the respective unit, in consultation with unit faculty, will determine the mechanism by which unit faculty members are selected for nomination. The process for selection should be widely shared throughout the unit, school, or college.

The Vice President for Public Service and Outreach will form a selection committee and appoint a chair for the committee to review the nominations and select the awardees. The committee will recommend up to five winners to the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach.

The Hill Award recognizes sustained, distinguished, and superb achievement in university public service and outreach and for contributions made to the improvement of the quality of life in Georgia or elsewhere. The Hill Award committee considers long-term achievements, special projects having extraordinary impact, and collaborative efforts. The creativity, impact, and superb nature of a Hill awardee’s achievements are of a magnitude that greatly exceeds the normal accomplishments of a productive faculty member.

Public Service and Outreach (PSO) refers to the function of applying academic expertise to the direct benefit of external audiences in support of unit missions and the university mission. PSO scholarship can include applied research, service-based instruction, program and project management, and technical assistance. A program is regarded as public service and outreach if there is utilization of the faculty member’s academic and professional expertise; there is a direct application of knowledge to, and a substantive link with, significant human needs and societal problems, issues, or concerns; the ultimate purpose is for the public or common good; new knowledge is generated for the discipline and/or the audience or clientele; and, there is a clear link/relationship between the program/activities and an appropriate unit’s mission.

The unit head (director, department head, or dean) prepares a nomination dossier that does not exceed 25 pages (that is, including all materials, exclusive of the cover page and transmittal letter) and includes the following:

• A cover page with the candidate’s Name, Current Title, and Unit;
• A written statement by the unit director, department head, or dean. The written statement should include:
  • A job description that outlines the nature and scope of the nominee’s roles and responsibilities.
  • Reflective commentary on the nominee’s public service and outreach program (a program is a set of activities that share a common focus and depend upon a particular expertise). The commentary should describe and explain the scholarship involved in one or more public service and outreach programs that are considered to be the crowning achievements of the candidate’s efforts. Each program should include the following:
    • Description. Provide a brief overview of the needs assessment, objectives, methods, and target audience. Describe selected activities and/or products that best illustrate the candidate’s contribution to this program.
    • Mission. How was the program compatible with unit and university missions? How did the activities complement the teaching and research missions of the unit and/or university?
    • Scholarship. Describe the role of the candidate’s professional expertise in the design and execution of the program. Did the activities demonstrate or test the applicability of the candidate’s discipline to societal/human problems, require integration with other disciplines, and/or generate new knowledge for the discipline and/or audience? Explain. How was this knowledge communicated to broader audiences? Has the program led to increased recognition of the candidate’s professional expertise by external audiences? Indicators would include requests for information, invitations to make presentations, service on review panels, receipt of contracts, grants, and professional awards, etc.
    • Impact. Describe observed impacts and/or explain any unobserved impacts that are to be expected according to the discipline(s) applied. Identify the direct and indirect beneficiaries. What actions did the intended audience take as a result of this work? Evidence of impact can include both quantitative results (e.g., changes in test scores, increased production, or widespread adoption of a product or technique) and qualitative results (e.g., testimonials from clients, reviews by knowledgeable scholars/critics).
  • A condensed curriculum vitae.
  • Letters of external support (three to five letters).
  • Supporting Documentation that may include:
    • Activities and Products: List activities and products using the categories outlined below. Numerous activities or products of the same type should be summarized to the extent possible. Brief descriptions accompanied by examples and totals will suffice. For collaborative efforts, the role of the candidate should be clearly stated.
      • Honors, awards, and special recognition for outreach activities.
      • PSO publications including books, monographs, and article-length publications (distinguish by type: book chapters, articles in refereed journals, invited articles, bulletins, proceedings, etc.).
      • Instructional activities. List the title or subject of each distinct course or presentation, the type (lecture, curriculum, course, workshop, exhibit, etc.), the duration (usually in hours), the candidate’s role in creating each (developer, presenter), the target audience, and the method of reaching the audience (conference presentation, telecommunications, site visit, etc.).
      • Technical assistance. List each type of assistance, the clientele, the contribution, and the number of times provided.
      • Outreach products:
        • Exhibitions: Distinguish between juried or invitational exhibitions; identify work(s) and juror (juries); indicate regional, national, or international exhibitions.
        • Electronic products: computer programs, web sites, GIS databases, etc.
        • Other: Videos, job aids, etc.
      • Copyrights, patents, and inventions.
      • Contracts, grants, and gifts.

The nomination dossier should be prepared in the following manner:

• The completed nomination dossier should not exceed 25 pages (that is, including all materials, exclusive of the cover page and transmittal letter). Dossiers exceeding this length will not be considered.
• One-inch margins.
• A type size no smaller than an 11-point font.
• A type face similar to Times New Roman.
• Nomination portfolios should not be placed in folders or binders. Each copy of the dossier should be stapled in the upper left-hand corner.
• An original and six copies should be submitted, under a transmittal letter, to Steve Dempsey, Associate Vice President for Public Service and Outreach, no later than Friday, September 28, 2012.