Society of American Law Teachers Call for Award Nominations
The Society of American Law Teachers invites members to nominate individuals or groups for the prestigious Great Teacher Award, M. Shanara Gilbert Human Rights Award, and the Junior Faculty Teaching Award. SALT will honor the awardees and celebrate our community at the annual awards event on January 3 in Washington, DC during the AALS meeting. Please take a moment to recognize members of academia and the community for their exceptional contributions to social justice, human rights, equality, and a better world.
The successful nominee must be available to receive the award in person at SALT’s celebration. You must be a current member of SALT to make a nomination. You can click here to join or renew. To check the status of your membership, email info@saltlaw.org.
Shanara Gilbert Award
The M. Shanara Gilbert Human Rights Award recognizes the contributions of individuals or groups who are tireless advocates for social justice, human rights, equality, and justice. The award is named after a CUNY Law School professor who dedicated her life to these principals and worked for social justice domestically and internationally. In her memory, SALT honors those who believe in fighting for a better world. The M. Shanara Gilbert Award is not awarded annually and is only bestowed when an exceptional individual, people, group or organization make significant contributions that warrant recognition from our community.
Past M. Shanara Gilbert Honorees: Jim Silk, Zahra Billoo, Sherrilyn Ifill, Hope Lewiz, Florence Roisman, Norris Henderson, Prison Law Office, Rhonda Copelon, Jennifer Harbury and Sister Dianna Ortiz, Joshua Rosenkranz, David Cole and Center for Constitutional Rights, Eva Patterson, Congressman John Lewis, Steven Bright and Bryan Stevenson, Honorable Barney Frank, Dr. Jesse N. Stone, Jr., and M. Shanara Gilbert
Great Teacher Award
The SALT Great Teacher Award recognizes individuals that have made important contributions to teaching, legal education, and mentoring. The most important criteria are demonstrated 1) excellence in teaching and 2) commitment to advancing social justice and equality.
Past Great Teacher Honorees: Lisa Brodoff, Frank Askin, Susan Bryant and Jean Koh Peters, Martha Mahoney, Holly Maguigan, Margaret Montoya, Keith Aoki, Phoebe Haddon, Francisco Valdés, Steve Wizner, Fran Ansley, Stephanie Wildman, Eric Yamamoto, Howard Glickstein, Bill Quigley, Charles Lawrence & Mari Matsuda, SALT Founders, Sylvia Law, Marjorie M. Schultz, Anthony Amsterdam, Jim Jones, W. Hayward Burns, Barbara Aldave, Trina Grillo, Norman Dorsen, Cruz Reynoso, Mary Jo Frug, Marilyn Yarborough, Rhonda Rivera, University of Wisconsin Law School, Howard Lesnick, Barbara Babcock, Clinton Bamberger, CUNY Law School, Derrick Bell, Herma Hill Kay, Charles Black, Arthur Leff, Harry Edwards, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Rennard Strickland, Thomas Emerson, Charles Miller, David Cavers.
Junior Faculty Award
The SALT Junior Faculty Award recognizes an outstanding recent entrant (seven years or fewer) into legal education who demonstrates a commitment to justice, equality, and academic excellence through their teaching, scholarship, and/or social justice advocacy. This award is designed to honor all faculty, including clinical, legal research and writing, librarian, and doctrinal teachers, as well as contract, tenure-track, and tenured faculty. The Junior Faculty Award honors a faculty member who actively demonstrates a commitment to and alignment with SALT’s mission through teaching, scholarship, mentorship, and/or advocacy. For this award, Excellence in Teaching is defined as the incorporation of social justice themes in the classroom and innovative curricular design in order to incorporate diversity and access to justice. Excellence in Scholarship is defined as the incorporation of social justice and equality themes in scholarship. Excellence in Advocacy is defined as efforts to increase access to and inclusion in legal education to marginalized students and first generation students; service to under-served and marginalized populations through direct advocacy or representation; and/or efforts to support individuals, nonprofits, communities, and/or movements that further justice and equality. Mentorship to others includes engagement with students and faculty members, in social justice pedagogy, scholarship, career preparation, or advocacy.
- The award committee will also consider the following factors in its decision-making process:
- Whether the nominee identifies as someone from a historically marginalized group;
- Whether the nominee’s home law school has provided tangible and/or intangible support to the nominee’s efforts;
- Whether the nominee has already received substantial recognition for their efforts (nominees who have not already received substantial recognition will be considered highly); and
- The extent to which the nominee’s teaching area of focus aligns with social justice (nominees who focus on social justice but whose work does not clearly align with social justice will be considered highly).
Nomination Instructions
Nominations for the M. Shanara Gilbert Award, Great Teacher Award, and Junior Faculty Award must be submitted toinfo@saltlaw.org, subject line Gilbert Award Nominee or Great Teacher Award Nominee or Junior Faculty Award by October 3, 2019 and include:
- Name of the person or organization being nominated
- Name of the nominator
- Nominator and nominee SALT membership status
- Statement in support of the nomination (2 page maximum). The statement should explain why the person or organization deserves the award, including how their work contributes to the mission of SALT (for Gilbert and Great Teacher awards only).
For Junior Faculty Award:
Please see the criteria listed above;
References may include faculty and/or students who have graduated in the last two years.