Beginning in the fall, Loyola will grant awards for teaching, research, advising and community service to deserving members of the Loyola faculty. The University Senate on Jan. 17 reviewed and OK’d an outline of rules for how the awards will be granted. Awards are a way of “motivating them (faculty) to do those kinds of things that would lead to an award, rather than saying ‘Let’s get together and pat each other on the back,’ ” said Lee Mundell, business administration professor and University Senate member.The Senate originally approved the idea in February 1999, when religious studies professor Vernon Gregson proposed the awards, but at that time the proposal was not brought to fruition. Gregson is on sabbatical this semester and could not be reached for comment by press time.Each year, one faculty member is chosen by the President’s Council to receive the Dux Academicus Award for leadership, outstanding achievements in teaching and scholarship and contributions to the quality of life in the Loyola community. Recipients of the Dux Academicus are nominated by colleagues, students and former students. Mundell said the new recognition awards would not try to compete with the Dux Academicus but would be another way to reward outstanding professional skills.”Advising in particular is very hard to review. Encouraging good advising is a way of encouraging excellence,” he said.The recognition awards, in the form of gold medallions, for teaching, research, advising and community service will be given annually for work done during the previous academic year.The award nominee will be required to provide application materials, so as not to discourage people from submitting nominations, Mundell said.”If a student has to spend three or four hours of their day on this application, that could end up being a negative,” he said.In the original proposal, the awards were to be distributed at spring commencement because “it is the most public and prestigious occasion of the year.” The proposal also said recipients were to receive free dinners from restaurant donors sought out by Institutional Advancement.Senators at the Jan. 17 meeting decided against both of these measures. “Commencement is really suppose to focus on the students. We decided one of the convocations would be better,” Mundell said.He said if some senators still felt like they wanted to seek out donations for free dinners, that would be up to them.A committee is being formed to set the timeline, criteria and documentation needed for each award, he said. Nominations from faculty, staff and students will be solicited in late February and March.