National Food and Agricultural Sciences Teaching, Extension, and Research Awards

Overview

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is soliciting Applications for the 2023 National Food and Agricultural Sciences Teaching, Extension, and Research Awards (TERA) program that recognizes and promotes excellence in teaching in the food and agricultural sciences within U.S. colleges and universities. For the purposes of this RFA, teaching is defined to include all aspects of developing human capital in order to help meet current and future national food, agricultural, natural resources, and human sciences (FANH) workplace needs. Examples of relevant activities under this project type include (but are not limited to) the following: formal classroom instruction; laboratory instruction; and practicum experience such as faculty development, student recruitment and services, curriculum development, and innovative teaching methodologies. It also includes activities that directly or indirectly contribute to student learning such as research, extension/outreach, and organizational arrangements needed for the proper functioning of the educational institution.

Annually, NIFA will make awards to three categories of teachers: 

Category 1 – Teachers who are primarily excellent in instruction; but also conduct significant research and/or extension activities and contribute to the academic environment at the University. 

1. Regional: A teacher selected from any of the four regions, and who is deemed by the review panel to exhibit sustained and meritorious teaching, and who has maintained at least eight consecutive years’ experience in higher education teaching, as defined in this section. While a sustained pattern of meritorious activity is expected, this award does not recognize teaching longevity so much as it recognizes the quality of recent achievements involving teaching philosophy, methodology, and self-assessment aimed at improvement. 
2. National: A recipient selected from the pool of potential Regional award recipients, from any of the four regions, and who is deemed by the review panel to exhibit sustained, meritorious, and exceptional teaching.

Category 2 – Teachers who are new to the teaching profession and have less than seven years of teaching experience. 

1. New Teacher: A teacher selected from any of the four regions, who has demonstrated a commitment to a career in teaching and is deemed by the review panel to exhibit meritorious teaching, but who has no more than seven consecutive years of experience in higher education teaching, this does not include teaching assistant or instructor/lecturer positions.

Category 3 – Teachers who are not required to conduct research and/or extension/outreach but comparatively have a higher teaching load. 

1. Teaching and Student Engagement – A teacher selected from any of the four regions who has more than seven years of experience in higher education teaching and is deemed by the review panel to exhibit meritorious teaching and significant levels of student engagement in formal and non-formal settings. Individuals in this category are those whose appointments are at least 75 percent focused on teaching. 

For the purposes of this program, the four regions of the United States are defined as follows: 

1. Northeast (CT, DE, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, WV, DC) 
2. North Central (IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI) 
3. Southern (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, PR, USVI) 
4. Western (AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY, and any Insular Area Institution designated as a college or university within: Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.

A maximum of one application may be submitted per eligible institution. Apply to ASU's internal limited submission competition on InfoReady.

• Letter of Intent: 5:00 P.M. Eastern, May 3, 2023, Recommended not required
• The anticipated amount available for TERA in FY 2023, FY2024, FY2025, and FY2026 is $125,000 per year, for a total of $500,000.
• Grant Type: Cooperative Agreement
• Grant Duration: 4 years
• Anticipated # of Awards: 1