Each year, Boise State’s General Education Committee recognizes faculty members who teach foundational courses to non-majors for their essential contribution to the core mission of public education. The University Foundations curriculum includes not only 100-Level and 200-Level UF course but also First Year Writing and Foundations of the Discipline courses (like Art 100 or Biology 191).
How to Nominate
To keep the nomination process open and simple, students and faculty can nominate by filling out a nomination form or by sending a letter about the candidate to UniversityFoundations@BoiseState. Below is an example nomination form we used to identify the candidates who won a UF Teaching Award in March 2026.
Award Categories
Foundations of the Discipline Categories
- Foundations of Writing
- Foundations of Oral Communication
- Foundations of Mathematics
- Foundations of Natural, Physical, and Applied Sciences
- Foundations of Humanities
- Foundations of Arts
- Foundations of Social Sciences
Other Categories
- Finishing Foundations
- Foundations of Intellectual Life
- Foundations of Ethics in Society
Six winners from the Foundations of the Discipline categories will become one of Boise State’s nominees for the Idaho State Board of Education’s new GEM awards, which will celebrate outstanding general education teaching across Idaho’s universities.
About the Award
Boise State’s general education program, University Foundations, answers the question: What does every Boise State student need to KNOW, DO, and BECOME, regardless of major? University Foundations courses expose students to different “ways of knowing” that are relevant to anyone. As students expand their tools of inquiry by exploring the different ways historians, social scientists, artists, and others look into important questions, they form a more complete picture of the world, connect disparate ideas, better understand others, and grow in new directions.
The University Foundations awards will recognize the essential contribution those teaching non-majors make to the core mission of public education: to educate citizens both for making a living and making a life as individuals and community members.
Six winners will be considered for one of Idaho’s statewide GEM teaching awards, which will recognize outstanding teaching across Idaho’s general education courses.