CECS Faculty and Staff Resources

Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award

The Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award is granted to instructional faculty who demonstrate sustained excellence in curriculum development, teaching, or advising at the graduate or undergraduate level. Open to all Lecturers III/IV, tenured, and tenure-track faculty. Winners receive a $1,000 monetary award. Committee Chair: Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education.

The criteria for this award are:

• Sustained record of excellence (over multiple years)
• Use of innovative teaching and learning practices in taught courses
• Utilization of experiential learning elements in taught courses
• Dedication to student learning through curricular and co-curricular educational activities
• Mentoring and advising of undergraduate and graduate students

Faculty Excellence in Research Award

The Faculty Excellence in Research Award is granted to faculty who demonstrate excellence in research, scholarly achievements, creative works, or technological innovation that expands the scope of knowledge in the fields of engineering, computer science, or engineering education. Open to all tenured, tenure-track, and research faculty. Winners receive a $1,000 monetary award. Committee Chair: Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Research.

Faculty Excellence in Service Award

The Faculty Excellence in Service Award is granted to faculty who demonstrate excellence in service. Recipients will have made outstanding contributions to CECS through direct involvement with committees, programs, special projects, or student organizations that further the mission of the College and the campus. Open to all Lecturers III/IV, tenured and tenure-track faculty, and professors of engineering practice. Winners receive a $1,000 monetary award. Committee Chair: CECS Dean.

Previous recipients:

How are recipients selected?

In addition to individual award criteria above, a faculty member is not eligible for an award if they have received an award in the same category at either the college or campus level in the past five most recent cycles. Committee members select recipients based on achievements worthy of additional acknowledgement or recognition by the college.

Who selects recipients?

Nominations will be considered by ad-hoc committees, which will include: the committee chair, two members of CECS faculty, one member of UM-Dearborn faculty. Lecturers III/IV can serve on the Teaching and Service Award committees. Research faculty may serve on the Research Award Committee. Professors of engineering practice can serve on the service committee.

The award committee chair shall appoint committee members and call a meeting to consider nominees. 

The Paul K. Trojan Collegiate Professorship of Engineering was established in March 2012 to recognize faculty members with a distinguished record. Appointments to this position are for a five-year renewable term.

About Paul K. Trojan:

Paul K. Trojan received his undergraduate, master's, and doctorate degree in metallurgical engineering (in 1955, 1956, and 1961, respectively) from the University of Michigan. 

Professor Trojan worked as a teaching fellow in the Production Engineering Department at the Ann Arbor campus in 1956-57. From 1958-61 he worked as an instructor with the Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering Department. His association with the Dearborn campus began in 1961, when he joined the faculty as an assistant professor of chemical and metallurgical engineering. He was promoted to associate professor in 1964 and professor in 1970. He was appointed as chair of the Engineering Division from 1962-64, acting dean of the School of Engineering from 1980-82, and interim dean in 1988-90. He was involved with engineering education for nearly forty years and lectured nationally throughout his career.

The Narasimhamurthi "Nattu" Natarajan Collegiate Professorship of Engineering was established in May 2017 to recognize faculty members who demonstrate a sustained record of outstanding teaching, dedication to student success, improvements to the curriculum, implementation of creative teaching approaches, and a commitment to outreach. Appointments to this position are for a five-year renewable term. 

About "Nattu" Natarajan: 

Professor Narasimhamurthi "Nattu" Natarajan earned his bachelor's degree from the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (1974) and a master's degree (1978) and Ph.D. (1979) from University of California-Berkeley. He served as a faculty member at Washington University in St. Louis (1979-81) and the University of Michigan (1981-87) Ann Arbor campus before joining the electrical and computer engineering department as an associate professor at the University of Michigan-Dearborn in 1988. 

Throughout his 27 years of service to the campus, Professor Natarajan built a strong reputation as a well-respected teacher and mentor.  He was instrumental in the establishment of the Engineering and Computer Science Experience, an annual event that invites area high school students to compete in engineering contests. He also founded the Intelligent Systems Club in 2002 to give students the opportunity to gain hands-on knowledge developing engineering design projects.  After his death, the ION Autonomous Snowplow Competition renamed its team sportspersonship award the "Dr. Nattu Golden Smile Award" in his honor.

This award is presented to a CECS staff member who exemplifies excellence in service to the College, campus, University, and/or UM-Dearborn extended community. The awardee receives an individual monetary award of $1,000, a framed award certificate, and recognition on a plaque in the Dean's Office. Awardees are automatically nominated by the Dean for the Chancellor's Staff Recognition Award.

The Staff Excellence in Service Award is presented at the Staff Recognition Luncheon in May.

Previous recipients:

Every year, a number of engineering and computer science students are honored for their achievements in academics, community service, and competitions. A list of awards and past recipients can be found on our Student Awards page.

To ensure the timely processing of access requests, starting immediately, CECS Faculty and Staff must use the following forms to request access.

• Key Access
• MCard Access

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Information to note

• Requests will be processed Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.  Requests submitted after twelve PM on Tuesday or Thursday are not guaranteed to be processed.  i.e. If you submit a request at 1 pm on Tuesday it may not be processed until Thursday.  Please plan accordingly.
• Reason must be provided for DAC to provide MCard access outside of standard building hours  
• Extended weekend critical access hours are 7 am - 9 pm.
• Only faculty and staff are allowed to request access.  Students must have faculty or staff submit on their behalf.
• 24/7 access is not allowed.

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Current Request Process

Step 1:  Complete Comprehensive Lab Safety Training [If you are requesting access to a lab]

Step 2:  Submit the request to your Department Access Coordinator (DAC) using the Key or MCard request form.  DAC's will no longer be accepting access requests through e-mail.  

Step 3:  DAC's will reach out to you via email if they need further information to process your key or access request, otherwise, they will forward the request to Facilities Operations for final processing.

Step 4:  Once your request is approved by Facilities Operations, you will be notified via email with instructions on picking up your key and/or on the details of your MCard access.

Summarized or extracted from Facilities Operations Key Policy (FO 502):

• Ownership of Keys: All keys to University of Michigan-Dearborn facilities are the property of the University. 
• Individual Responsibility: Individuals may use keys only in their official capacity for the University.
• Duplication: Duplication or reproduction of keys through channels outside of the Department of Facilities Operations is prohibited. 
• Return of University Keys: All keys will be returned to Facilities Operations upon transfer, termination, or departure from the University. Facilities Operations will provide a receipt to the person returning the key(s) and email a copy of the receipt to the DAC.
• Worn or Broken Key: Worn or broken keys should be reported to the DAC. DAC will notify Facilities Operation that the worn or broken key should be exchanged for a new one. The keyholder should turn in the defective key when picking up the replacement.
• Lost Keys: Lost keys should be reported immediately to the DAC. To obtain a replacement key, a new key request must be submitted.
• Stolen Keys: Stolen keys should be reported immediately to the DAC and Public Safety. To obtain a replacement key, a new key request must be submitted.

Updated: December 18, 2017