Call for Submissions:  Rural Sociological Society Awards

Deadline:  April 29, 2021

The RSS Awards Committee is seeking submissions for the following awards (scroll down for details):

  • Distinguished Service to Rural Life
  • Distinguished Rural Sociologist
  • Excellence in Research
  • Excellence in Instruction
  • Excellence in Extension and Public Outreach
  • Certificate of Appreciation
  • The Fred Buttel Outstanding Scholarly Achievement Award 2021 (Article)
  • The Olaf Larson Graduate Student Paper Award

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the cancellation of the RSS Annual Meeting in 2020, no RSS awards were made in 2020. These nominations have been carried over to the current year 2021. Award nomination submissions from 2020 and new 2021 nominations will be combined for review and one award will be made for each category for 2020/2021. The 2020/2021 RSS Award winners will be announced at the virtual meetings to be held online July 29-August 1, 2021. Those that submitted nominations in 2020 are welcome to update and resubmit application packets by April 29, 2021. No new book nominations will be accepted in 2021 for the 2020 Fred Buttel Book Award because the award is made every other year. Applications for the 2021 Fred Buttel Award for an article will be accepted this year.

Self-nominations are accepted and encouraged.

When nominating someone for any award, nominators should consider whether the candidate meets the standards outlined by the RSS Code of Ethics. RSS award winners are expected to meet these standards: https://www.ruralsociology.org/rss-ethics.

Distinguished Service to Rural Life

The purpose of the Distinguished Service to Rural Life Awards is to recognize a person, organization, or collective who has made an outstanding contribution to the enhancement of rural life, rural people, or rural policy. Nominees should be individuals, organizations, or collectives whose activities exemplify the goals of the RSS. Nominees may or may not be RSS members. This award is intended to recognize excellence in non-academic settings, such as a non-governmental organization, government agency, or private firm.

Submit the following materials by April 29, 2021 to Alisha Coleman-Jensen, via email as.pdf application packets to:  [email protected].

  1. A cover letter from the principal nominator outlining the major contributions of the nominee.
  2. A biographic sketch of the candidate/organization.
  3. Brief materials (e.g., brochure, report, etc.) describing the project or program if nominee is an organization or collective.
  4. Two to four letters of support

 

Distinguished Rural Sociologist

The purpose of the Distinguished Rural Sociologist is to honor one or more RSS members who have made superior career contributions to the field of rural sociology through research, teaching, extension, public service, and/or public policy. Awards are based on overall professional accomplishments in rural sociology.

Submit the following materials by April 29, 2021 to Alisha Coleman-Jensen, via email as.pdf application packets to:  [email protected].

  1. A cover letter from the principal nominator detailing the member's qualifications for the award.
  2. A current version of the nominee's vita.
  3. Two to four letters of support.
  4. Optional materials: selected publications, student or peer evaluations, and other professionally relevant materials.

     

Excellence in Research

The purpose of the Excellence in Research Award is to recognize a RSS member who has made outstanding contributions to rural-oriented research and/or theory. Note: The contributions of the nominee to substantive area of rural-oriented research and/or theory should be emphasized.

Submit the following materials by April 29, 2021 to Alisha Coleman-Jensen, via email as.pdf application packets to:  [email protected].

  1. A cover letter from the principal nominator detailing the member's qualifications for the award.
  2. A current version of the nominee's vita.
  3. Two to four letters of support.
  4. Optional materials: up to three examples (e.g., publication, report) of the nominee's research.

 

Excellence in Instruction

The purpose of the Excellence in Instruction Award is to recognize outstanding rural-oriented teaching by a RSS member at the graduate and/or undergraduate level.  Note:  Innovation in teaching and learning should be emphasized. Innovation may relate to a particular course, thematic area, population of students or pedagogical approach or technique. Evidence of impact should be provided.

Submit the following materials by April 29, 2021 to Alisha Coleman-Jensen, via email as.pdf application packets to:  [email protected].

  1. A cover letter from the principal nominator detailing the member's qualifications for the award.
  2. A current version of the nominee's vita.
  3. Two to four letters of support (at least one letter from another faculty member and one from a student).
  4. Selected evidence (e.g., syllabus, website, teaching evaluations, learning assessments, assignment) that supports the case for instructional excellence.

 

Excellence in Extension and Public Outreach

The purpose of the Excellence in Extension and Public Outreach Award is to honor an RSS member, working at a university or college, who has made significant contributions to extension and public outreach.  This award is intended to recognize public service excellence in academic settings. Excellence centers on having made a significant impact on rural residents, rural life, and/or rural policy. A specific program or area of outreach or extension should be highlighted.

Submit the following materials by April 29, 2021 to Alisha Coleman-Jensen, via email as.pdf application packets to:  [email protected].

  1. A cover letter from the principal nominator detailing the member's qualifications for the award.
  2. A current version of the nominee's vita.
  3. Two to four letters of support.
  4. Brief materials (e.g., brochure, 1-2 page summary) describing the project or program.

 

Certificate of Appreciation

The purpose of the Certificate of Appreciation is to honor RSS members who have provided outstanding service to the Society beyond the call of duty in a singular area of effort. The specific effort highlighted should not be associated with career accomplishments or service as an officer or committee chair in the Society.

Submit the following materials by April 29, 2021 to Alisha Coleman-Jensen, via email as.pdf application packets to:  [email protected].

  1. A cover letter from the principal nominator outlining the specific outstanding service provided by the member.
  2. One letter of support.

 

The Olaf Larson Graduate Student Paper Award

The purpose of the Olaf Larson Graduate Student Paper Award is to enhance the involvement of graduate students in the RSS annual meeting, and to support their professional development. The nominee must be a current RSS member. The paper may be co- authored with another graduate student who is a RSS member, but not with a faculty member. Papers should be of normal journal article length and format (12 pt font, double-spaced, 20-30 pages inclusive). Masters theses and dissertations will not be considered. This award includes a $300 prize and one-year membership in RSS.

Submit the following materials by April 29, 2021 to Alisha Coleman-Jensen, via email as.pdf application packets to:  [email protected].

  1. One electronic copy of the completed paper.
  2. A current version of the author's vita.
  3. A letter from the author’s faculty advisor or department chair certifying graduate student status.

The Fred Buttel Outstanding Scholarly Achievement Award 2021 (Article)

The purpose of the Fred Buttel Outstanding Scholarly Achievement Awardis to recognize outstanding scholarship in the form of a book or article (alternating years for each format) that demonstrates excellence in scholarly work in the same spirit as that exemplified by the late Fred Buttel. For the 2021 award, the committee seeks nominations for outstanding scholarly articles that advance the field of rural sociological knowledge. The article must have been published in 2019 or 2020.

Submit the following materials by April 29, 2021 to Alisha Coleman-Jensen, via email as.pdf application packets to:  [email protected].

  1. A letter of nomination from the author, publisher, or other relevant source. The letter should specify the contribution of the work to Rural Sociology in general and to relevant subfields.
  2. A current version of the author’s vita.
  3. A copy of the nominated article for review by the committee.