Purpose

The Charles N. Hewitt Creative Teaching Award recognizes School of Public Health faculty and staff who have made outstanding creative contributions in public health education. These may include achievements in skilled teaching of large classes; in continuing education and other non-traditional educational settings; in interscholastic education of health professional students; or in innovative applications of learning technology. The award symbolizes the school’s commitment to learning through especially creative, innovative, and effective teaching of undergraduate, graduate, and non-traditional students.

The award commemorates the contributions of Charles N. Hewitt, M.D. (1835-1910), the first teacher of public health at the University of Minnesota, and the first secretary of the Minnesota Board of Health, forerunner to the Minnesota Department of Health.

The Award

Recipient’s achievements will be commemorated with a plaque, a permanent display in the school’s administrative offices, and a cash award of $1,500. No more than one award will be given in any single year. The award will be presented at the annual School of Public Health Faculty and Staff Recognition Celebration.

Eligibility

School faculty or staff who have participated in an SPH teaching program annually during the past three years, are eligible. Previous recipients of the award are eligible to be nominated in subsequent years for additional achievements.

Nominator

To nominate someone for this award, you must be a member of the School of Public Health faculty, staff, or student body.

Students acting as primary nominators are strongly encouraged to discuss the nomination with the program major chair, Director of Graduate Studies, an SPH faculty member, program major coordinator, or division assistant/administrator for assistance in documenting creative achievement in teaching and gathering the nominee’s teaching record and teaching evaluations to complete the nomination packet.

Evaluation Criteria

Successful nominees will demonstrate elements such as:

• Special teaching excellence and creativity in large class settings, including the application of effective learning strategies and the ability to stimulate students’ intellectual growth and development; or
• A record of innovation, creativity and excellence in teaching non-traditional students in continuing education or other non-traditional (Ex. E-PHAP, etc.) settings; or
• Outstanding contributions to interscholastic education of health professional students across health disciplines with a particular focus on innovation and excellence in teaching the public health core sciences; or
• Outstanding contributions to public health learning through innovative and creative applications of learning technology.

Nomination Process

Annual awards nominations for the 2025-2026 academic year should be submitted through the online nomination form. The submission deadline is April 6, 2026.

Nominations must include the following documentation:

• A letter of nomination of no more than three pages. The letter should advocate the case for the award and address how the faculty member’s teaching meets one or more of the evaluation criteria.
  • The letter may include quotes from fellow instructors, students, alumni, student ratings of teaching (SRTs), or others with first-hand knowledge of the nominee’s creativity in teaching.
• The nominee’s teaching record including recent syllabi, summary of teaching evaluations for the last three years, or multimedia material illustrating the teaching achievement for which the candidate is nominated.

The nominee’s permission must be received to obtain and include SRT quotes and summaries as part of the nomination package.

To facilitate evaluation, please have one person act as the primary nominator, compiling all of the materials prior to submitting online for the review committee.

Excerpts from award recipients’ nomination letters may be read at the awards ceremony. Following the ceremony, the winner will receive a complete copy of the nomination submission.

Previous Recipients