Address the Award Criteria. Each award was created to recognize faculty members who demonstrate a specific, intentional set of achievements or characteristics. The award committee will evaluate the nominee based on the specific criteria listed in the award description. Make sure to address as many of the criteria as possible, as directly as possible, in your letter. 

Tell a Story. Your nomination letter should offer a narrative about the person you are nominating. Think about the message you want the reader to come away with, and the best way to bring the reader to that conclusion. If you only provide a list of facts or a simple chronology of the nominee’s career, you risk burying the story you want to tell about why the nominee is deserving of the award.

Explain What Makes Them Different. Most or all of the nominations we receive will be deserving of the award. The nominees will all have strong publication records, innovative teaching approaches, or whatever achievements the award calls for. What makes your nominee stand out? What is exceptional about their work? What makes them deserving of the award other than simply being good at their job?

Be Specific. Use examples to support the general claims you make. Rather than just stating that the nominee is a dedicated mentor, provide examples where the nominee demonstrated this dedication. Rather than simply listing publication counts or citation statistics, provide examples of scholarship that has had a particular impact on the field. 

Focus on Impact. Discuss the impact (or potential future impact) that the nominee or their work have had on their field, on Lehigh, or on society as a whole.

Be Concise. One to two pages is usually sufficient for a strong nomination letter. Remember that the committee will be reading many nominations; they would prefer to read concise, well-written letters that convey the story clearly, rather than long letters that contain excessive details.

Upload the Nominee’s CV. Although the nomination process doesn’t explicitly require it, we encourage you to upload the nominee’s CV in the “additional information” section of the nomination form. This will provide useful context for the committee, and will reduce the amount of factual information you need to include in your letter.

Consider Teaming Up. If you know that other people will be nominating the same nominee as you, consider writing a single nomination letter, co-signed by multiple nominators. The committee will weigh the content of the letters (how compellingly they make the case for the nominee) much more heavily than the number of letters. If you do decide to submit multiple letters, having them all say the same thing doesn’t help; instead, think about how different letter writers, especially from different roles, can discuss different aspects of the candidate’s achievements.

(Acknowledgment: We found the guidance offered by SMU and UNC to be helpful as we wrote the suggestions above.)