In support of the UNC System’s mission, the Board of Governors honors and recognizes excellence in areas of teaching, research, and public service through the following awards.
OLIVER MAX GARDNER AWARD
The Gardner Award is an annual award, first presented in 1949. It recognizes a member of the UNC System faculty who, during the current scholastic year, has made “the greatest contribution to the welfare of the human race.” The award is the highest honor the System confers on faculty. All faculty members, from across all 17 constituent institutions, are eligible.
Previous Recipients
Sy Atezaz Saeed, 2019
Ruben G. Carbonell, 2018
Ben Bahr, 2017
David Shapiro, 2016
Pinku Mukherjee, 2015
Behnam Pourdeyhimi, 2015
THE GOVERNOR JAMES E. HOLSHOUSER, JR. AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN PUBLIC SERVICE
The Public Service Award is an annual award, created in 2007 to encourage, identify, recognize, and reward public service by faculty of the University. Faculty of any of the 17 institutions of the University of North Carolina are eligible. At its August 2013 meeting, the Board of Governors unanimously approved a resolution to rename the award after Governor James E. Holshouser, Jr.
Previous Recipients
AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING
The Teaching Awards were established in 1994 to underscore the importance of teaching and to encourage, identify, recognize, reward, and support good teaching within the University. Every year, a faculty member from each constituent institution receives this award.
2023 AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING
UNC Board of Governors names recipients of 2023 Awards for Excellence in Teaching

Maryam Ahmed
Appalachian State University

Elizabeth Tweedie Ables
East Carolina University

Shyamal Kumar Das
Elizabeth City State University

Sambit Bhattacharya
Fayetteville State University

Meeshay Williams-Wheeler
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

Darlene Eberhardt-Burke
North Carolina Central University

Jason Boccarro
NC State University

Keya Maitra
University of North Carolina Asheville

Patrick Conway
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Adriana Medina
University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Dan Yasaki
University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Jane Haladay
University of North Carolina at Pembroke

Eduardo Varela Sicangco
University of North Carolina School of the Arts

Victor Malo-Juvera
University of North Carolina Wilmington

Yanjun Yan
Western Carolina University

Elva J. Jones
Winston-Salem State University

David Cantrell
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
UNIVERSITY AWARD
The University Award, created in 1979, periodically recognizes illustrious service to higher education and is the highest distinction of this nature that the University bestows. Administrators or faculty members of the University are not eligible for the Award, nor are voting members of the Board of Governors or of the institutional boards of trustees.