After four years of negotiation and administrative jockeying, the University Faculty Senate announced that it will proceed with plans to award four Faculty Senate Awards to faculty members at this year’s Fall Convocation.”The nomination can be almost as important as winning the award,” said second-year law student Kara JenkinsStudents, staff and faculty members can submit nominations in the form of a one- or two-paragraph description of the nominee’s outstanding achievement at Loyola, said Beth Orgeron, chairwoman of the awards program and assistant professor for the library. The awards themselves may consist of Olympic-like medals with intricate engravings, gift certificates to local restaurants or possibly $1,000, Orgeron said. Gerry Rault, law professor, is a member of the search committee and proponent of awarding more than free food. Rault said that the committee is not required to give all four awards in any given year. Such a scenario seems unlikely this year, however, because the committee has already received at least two nominations in each of the four categories. The four categories are teaching, research, advising and community service. Although the committee expected most nominations to fall within the first category, such has not been the case.When asked whether the committee would consider giving the awards to students in the future, a plan instituted at Northern Kentucky University, Rault said the committee will experiment and consider various possibilities. Orgeron said that the NKU model is an interesting idea.Other universities, including Jesuit institutions like Boston College and Georgetown, have developed Faculty Senate awards ceremonies into a prestigious event.”There are students who can contribute,” Jenkins said. “What’s important from professors’ point of view is knowing that they’ve impacted the lives of their students.” Nominators should submit nominations to either the Monroe Library Circulation Desk or via e-mail, to [email protected], before April 5.