COLA Support and Awards
The annual Gary Lindberg Award was established by the College of Liberal Arts in 1986 in memory of Professor Gary Lindberg of the Department of English. Professor Lindberg was an exceptional scholar and outstanding teacher whose dedication and service to the University of New Hampshire as well as the wider community exemplified the highest academic standards and ideals.
In memory of Professor Lindberg and as a means of publicly supporting superior faculty accomplishment, the College of Liberal Arts annually recognizes one truly outstanding scholar and teacher within the College. The award carries a $5,000 stipend. The recipient is invited to present the Liberal Arts Lecture to the public during the following academic year.
Lindberg Nomination Information
Go to Lindberg Nomination Page
Lindberg Lecture
Professor Prelli will deliver the Lindberg Lecture on Thursday, March 25, 2020 at 1 p.m.
2020 Lindberg Award Recipient

Lawrence Prelli, professor of communication, has been selected as the 2020 recipient of the Lindberg Award, given annually to the outstanding teacher-scholar in the College of Liberal Arts.
Appointed to the faculty in 1985, Professor Prelli’s research focuses on rhetoric in the areas of ecology and the environment, science and expertise, and symbolic actions. He pioneered a subfield of the communication discipline -- the rhetorical analysis of scientific discourse – with his monograph, A Rhetoric of Science: Inventing Scientific Discourse (University of South Carolina Press, 1989). The book was recognized with a distinguished scholarship award from the Eastern Communication Association and is considered a central text in the field today. Subsequently, Professor Prelli focused more specifically on environmental rhetoric and controversy, becoming a leading contributor to the growing subfield of rhetorical studies of science, technology, and ecology. In another strand of research, Professor Prelli is one of the earliest scholars to promote the examination of visual rhetoric. His edited collection, Rhetorics of Display (University of South Carolina Press, 2006), earned him a best monograph award from the National Communication Association for his penned chapter. Professor Prelli has also contributed significantly to the comprehension and critical application of the work of rhetorical theorists Richard Weaver and Kenneth Burke. In addition to his books, Professor Prelli has authored many book chapters, articles, and papers, and edited special issues in leading journals in his discipline over his 35-year career. He is currently working on a new book, tentatively titled Three Civil War Memorials, extending his book chapter, “The Ulysses S. Grant Memorial as a Site of Virtuous Suffering,” which appeared in R. Aden (Ed.), The Soul of the Nation: US. Public Memory and the National Mall.
Professor Prelli’s teaching is similarly impactful at all levels of the communication undergraduate curriculum. His courses are rigorous, his pedagogy innovative, his classroom engaging, his demeanor caring. As an interdisciplinary scholar, he has served on many a Ph.D. and Masters committee both in the English Department and in the Natural Resources Department where he is an affiliate faculty member and from where he earned a Master’s degree 13 years into his career at UNH to further his teaching and scholarly agenda. A colleague provides a telling example of what Professor Prelli uniquely brings to the classroom as a scholar in both the liberal arts and hard sciences: “He can discuss an International Court of Justice case about the Gulf of Maine’s fisheries from the vantage point of the science and policy issues involved, as well as from the stance of a rhetorical analyst.” Professor Prelli’s teaching prowess has been recognized with a 2010 UNH Teaching Excellence Award and a 2004 Teaching Excellence Award from the Eastern Communication Association.
Professor Prelli has demonstrated that he possesses the highest qualities of scholarship and teaching and is most deserving of the Lindberg Award.
Previous Lindberg Award Winners
Siobhan Senier |
English 2019 Education 2018 History 2017 Theatre 2016 History 2015 English and Humanities 2014 English and Linguistics 2013 History and Humanities 2012 Philosophy and Humanities 2011 English 2010 English 2009 Art 2008 Communication 2007 History 2006 English 2005 History and Religious Studies 2004 Sociology 2003 English 2002 Psychology 2001 History 2000 Geography 1999 Education 1998 Philosophy 1997 History 1996 Music 1995 Psychology 1994 Humanities and Theatre 1993 Communication 1992 History 1991 English 1990 LLC/French 1989 History 1988 English 1987 |
This award recognizes curricular innovations through the use of technology. Examples may include (but are not limited to) new ways of teaching that promote student engagement, reorganization of a course that improves students’ ability to apply what they learn either inside or outside the classroom, and/or the promotion of inclusive group-learning activities. The award carries a $1,000 stipend.
All teaching faculty are eligible to apply. Self-nominations are encouraged.
Criteria:
- Creative use of technology begins with solid pedagogy: applicants must exhibit extensive knowledge and mastery of the subject matter
- Technological innovation in course and curriculum design
- Ability to inspire, guide and engage students in achieving their academic goals
Applicants should submit:
- A 1-2-page (single spaced) statement demonstrating award criteria and a Box link to a smartphone video self-presentation (up to 2 minutes) demonstrating the effectiveness of technological integration in their course curriculum.
- Up to date/current CV
Please send your nomination(s) by March 5, 2021 to Amanda Ouellette Amanda.Ouellette@unh.edu.
Award Recipients
Ivo van der Graaff, Art and Art History, 2020 (inaugural award)
The College of Liberal Arts provides limited support (up to $500) for research-related activities, with particular preference given to those that will advance efforts to secure external grants and fellowships, such as travel to funding agencies in Washington, DC. There is no deadline for applications, but once funds have been depleted for a given year, requests will be deferred until the following fiscal year. To apply, please briefly describe your project and proposed budget in less than one page, indicating what if any support your department will provide. This should be addressed to Dean Michele Dillon and submitted electronically. We ask for your chair's endorsement, only in the form of a signature, so please send a copy of your application to him or her. If your request is approved, support will take the form of reimbursement of documented expenses. Please address any questions to Michele Dillon.
For summer 2021, COLA gift funds will support the research/artistry of Associate Professors in the College of Liberal Arts. These awards are intended to accelerate the scholarship of associate professors and help strengthen their cases for promotion to full professor. Up to three award recipients will be selected; each will receive a stipend of $10,000. (It is expected that recipients will not be teaching or receiving any other UNH stipend during the summer.)
Please submit the following materials to Peg Kirkpatrick in a single application packet/pdf by March 17, 2021.
- A current CV with post-tenure accomplishments highlighted in yellow.
- (a) A brief summary of your current scholarly/artistic project; (b) specific progress already achieved; (c) plans to advance it; (d) a concise explanation of how a summer award would accelerate the project; (e) the progress envisioned by the end of summer 2021; and (f) your intended publication/exhibition plans for the project.
Applications will be reviewed by the COLA Executive Committee who will advise the Dean on the faculty selections.
Limited funds are available to faculty members on an ad hoc basis to support their professional development. Proposals should be made through one’s chair and support from other sources should be sought as well.
John and H. Irene Peters Professorship in Education
This award recognizes a faculty member in the Department of Education and is intended to provide support for teaching, research, service and other activities. The award carries an annual allowance for a three-year term, which may be used to support any bona fide professional expense.
Lamberton Professor of Justice Studies
This award recognizes outstanding achievement in scholarship and teaching in the field of justice studies. The award carries an annual allowance for a three-year term.
Pamela Shulman Professorship in European and Holocaust Studies
This award recognizes an outstanding tenured faculty member who will contribute to the study of European and Holocaust studies in the classroom as well as in research in this area. The Professorship carries an annual allowance that is intended to support outreach and networking initiatives that foster professional relationships with other centers of study, as well as lectures on campus and in the region.
- Liberal Arts Burnham Faculty Fellowship Summer 2021 application: PDF format Word format
General Information
Link to photos of Burnham Estate
COLA's Center for the Humanities hosts and sponsors interdisciplinary conferences; supports faculty programs, projects, and lectures; and offers faculty fellowships, an endowed chair, stipends, and workshops.
Other UNH Support and Award Opportunities (Selected List)
Each year, the University selects a small number of its outstanding faculty for special recognition of their achievements in teaching, scholarship, and service. Awards for Excellence in Teaching are given in each college and school, and University-wide awards recognize public service, research, teaching, and engagement.
Nomination Information
Award Recipients
2020
University-wide Awards
Kabria Baumgartner, Department of English
Outstanding Assistant Professor
Jason Sokol, Department of History
Outstanding Associate Professor
Charlotte Witt, Department of Philosophy
Distinguished Professor Award
Scott Smith, Department of Classics, Humanities and Italian Studies
Jean Brierley Award for Excellence in Teaching
Greg McMahon, Department of Classics, Humanities and Italian Studies
Excellence in International Engagement Award
Excellence in Teaching
Harriet Fertik, Department of Classics, Humanities and Italian Studies
Alex Holznienkemper, Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures
Michael Leese, Department of History
2019
Winners are profiled on the Faculty Excellence Awards website
University-wide Awards
Svetlana Peshkova, Department of Anthropology
Excellence in Public Service Award
Jeannie Sowers, Department of Political Science
Excellence in International Engagement Award
Excellence in Teaching
Renee Heath, Department of Communication
Alecia Magnifico, Department of English
Charles Vannette, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures (German)
2018
Winners are profiled on the Faculty Excellence Awards website
University-wide Awards
Eliga Gould, Department of History
Distinguished Professor Award
David Richman, Department of Theatre and Dance
Jean Brierley Award for Excellence in Teaching
Excellence in Teaching
Jennifer Armstrong, Department of Philosophy
Monica Chiu, Department of English
Kristen Swann, Department of Classics, Humanities and Italian Studies
2017
Winners are profiled on the Faculty Excellence Awards website
University-wide Awards
Andrew Boysen, Department of Music
Excellence in Research Award
Mary Fran Malone, Department of Political Science
Excellence in International Engagement Award
Scott Weintraub, Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures
Outstanding Assistant Professor Award
Janet Polasky, Department of History
Jean Brierley Award for Excellence in Teaching
Excellence in Teaching
Raina Ames, Department of Theatre and Dance
Susan Curry, Department of Classics, Humanities and Italian Studies
Kevin Healey, Department of Communication
2016
Winners are profiled on the Faculty Excellence Awards website
University-wide Awards
Gregory McMahon, Department of Classics, Humanities and Italian Studies
Jean Brierley Award for Excellence in Teaching
Judy Sharkey, Department of Education
Excellence in International Engagement Award
Excellence in Teaching
Amy Boylan, Department of Classics, Humanities and Italian Studies
Stephanie Harzewski, Department of English
Susan Siggelakis, Department of Political Science
Previous winners can be found on the Faculty Excellence Awards website
The Provost's Office awards University Professorships, Presidential Chairs and Professorships.
The University supports professional development through Faculty Development Grants and research through the Faculty Scholars Program; it supports a host of other opportunities through the Engagement and Faculty Development program.
Provost's Office Faculty Support
Engagement and Faculty Development Program
The Graduate School awards Summer Faculty Fellowships. Contact Dean Cari Moorhead, Cari.moorhead@unh.edu, for information.
The Global Education Center awards competitive grants for internationalizing faculty engagement and development.
Check out this website for the most comprehensive information about support for research and other scholarly activities provided by units within UNH.