Academic Affairs

The Belbas-Larson Award for Excellence in Teaching is the highest honor USD bestows upon its educators.

The annual award recognizes one tenured and one non-tenured faculty member at the spring commencement with a $5,000 tribute.

The Belbas-Larson Awards were established by a 1956 graduate of USD, Dean Belbas of Edina, Minnesota, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a former vice president of General Mills and former chairman of the board of the USD Foundation, and his close friends, Harold W. and Kathryn Larson of Scottsdale, Arizona.

Learn More about the Awards and Past Winners

The annual President's Awards for Research Excellence and Innovation & Entrepreneurship recognize outstanding research achievements by our faculty. The selections are a strong endorsement of each researcher's creativity and innovation, and an honor for the university to bestow.

Each award recipient receives a $3,000 grant and a plaque.

President's Awards for Research Excellence

These awards recognize research and creative activity that make extraordinary contributions to knowledge and artistic expression and bring positive national visibility to USD. Evidence for accomplishment includes but is not limited to: publications, grants, high-status presentations, juried exhibitions, service on prestigious editorial boards and grant review panels, and national honors. Early/mid-career faculty nominees must be an assistant or associate professor, employed as a USD faculty member for at least one year, with less than eight years of faculty rank, and having research as a significant component of workload. Established faculty nominees must be an associate or full professor, having faculty rank for a minimum of eight years with at least three years as USD faculty, and assigned research as a significant component of workload.

President's Awards for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

The award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship recognizes applied research, commercialization and economic development activities that significantly advance USD. It recognizes innovative thinking and significant efforts to realize the commercial potential of the innovation for the collective benefit of society, the university, the state's economy, and the inventor/entrepreneur. Nominees must be full-time faculty or full-time staff employed by USD.

The Lambda Chi Teaching Award acknowledges excellence in teaching first-year or introductory undergraduate courses. The annual $1,500 award is bestowed on one full-time faculty member and is made possible by the men of the Lambda Chi fraternity.

USD Lambda Chi Teaching Award

Candidates for this award must be full-time faculty (but not necessarily tenure-track) who are employed by USD and meet all USD requirements to be a faculty member in good standing. “First-year” and “introductory” courses are those that provide an introduction to a discipline or field of study, or those courses that are typically taken by first-year students. If an applicant believes that their course fits one of those definitions, but it is not obvious based on title or course number, they will be allowed to explain how their course meets these guidelines within the application. Past recipients of this award shall not be selected for repeat awards for a period of three years. The criterion for this award are as follows:

• Evidence that the instructor has clear learning outcomes, evidence that the students are meeting those outcomes, and evidence that critical reflection has been used to better understand and improve the course.
• Evidence of innovation in the classroom through the use of imaginative teaching methods and high-impact teaching practices (undergraduate research, service learning, inclusive excellence, etc.).
• Evidence of teaching and mentoring (both in and out of the classroom) that challenges learners to practice and develop critical thinking and independent learning abilities
• Evidence that the instructor created a respectful and safe environment where learning can flourish for all students