DTA Committee & Process SPRING 2008
Access Distinguished Teacher E-ballot

The process for selecting Pratt Institute's 2008-2009 Distinguished Teacher is a collaborative effort among the Academic Senate and the office of the Provost.

The Distinguished Teacher Award (DTA) Committee is appointed by the Academic Senate. All record keeping and procedural matters are coordinated by the Office of the Provost. Award criteria, process and schedule, including their amendment, are mutually discussed and resolved by the Senate and Provost's office. Recommendations and amendments related to DTA criteria and process may be proposed by anyone (including students) at any time within the Pratt community by writing to the senate.

DTA Committee Membership
The DTA Committee is composed of faculty representatives from each of the four schools (Architecture, Art and Design, Information and Library Science, Liberal Arts and Sciences), and the Library. along with one student each, graduate and undergraduate.

Distinguished Members of the SPRING 2008 DTA Committee
Brent Porter, Distinguished Teacher 2004, DTA Chair, PT ARCH
Amy Brook Snider, Chair ADE, A&D
Lisabeth During, FT faculty, SLAS
Debbie Rabina, FT faculty, SILS
Paul Schotthauer, FT faculty, Library
Brittany Barber, UG student representative
Erin Lewis, Grad student representative

DTA Committee Charge
The Distinguished Teacher Award Committee is charged with the following:
1.   Generate widespread awareness & participation among the Pratt community by the following methods:
• use of electronic balloting for student nominations
• use of universal e-mail system for announcements & updates
2.   Identify, comprehend and clearly communicate the purpose and the process of the DTAC by updating the nomination guidelines;
3.   conduct a fair nomination and selection process;
4.   Select one (1) Distinguished Teacher nominee to the Academic Senate by April 9, 2007, then to the Provost’s office on April 10, 2007.
5.   The long-range goal is that the Pratt community will reflect on what it means to be a teacher, and one that is distinguished. It is hoped that this anticipated introspective process will help us all appreciate teaching and teachers; and imbue the award with rightful significance.
     
Electronic Balloting
The Academic Senate initiated the electronic balloting process in 2004. Security protocols developed by Academic Computing (Dave Marcinkowski, Peter Easton and Greg Vassie) make use ot Pratt's WebAdvisor and SiteMason. Primary concerns in the e-balloting process include the following:
  Authenticating student nomination
  Ensuring adherance to nomination rules
  Ensuring confidentiality of nomination
  Validating and tallying nominations