CENTRE FOR TEACHING
EXCELLENCE & INNOVATION

Presidents' Awards for Teaching Excellence 

Founded in 2024, the Yorkville University President’s Award for Teaching Excellence and the Toronto Film School President’s Award for Teaching Excellence are the highest honours for teaching at Yorkville University and the Toronto Film School (Yorkville + TFS). 

Recipients of the Yorkville U + TFS Presidents’ Awards for Teaching Excellence inspire and facilitate learning in ways that have a positive and sustained influence on our students. These outstanding faculty not only exemplify our core values but demonstrate exceptional abilities to encourage and motivate students, to create supportive and inclusive learning environments, to foster student success within and beyond the classroom, and to reflect upon and refine their teaching practice. 

By recognizing the achievements of exceptional Yorkville U + TFS educators, we celebrate and enhance a culture of excellence in teaching and learning. 

This page outlines the Awards, showcases present and past Recipients and honourees, and identifies how the Centre can support you as an applicant or nominator for teaching awards. 

@RILEYSMITHPHOTO
Yorkville U President's Award for Teaching Excellence Landing Page
TFS President's Award for Teaching Excellence Landing Page

“What I have found is that some of the best innovations happen outside the formal system, happen despite the system, not because of it…There are pockets of innovation happening on every university campus because there are people who are called [to teach]. They really see it as a calling, and they want to make a significant impact.”


– Dr. Julia Christensen Hughes, Yorkville U President and Vice-Chancellor (“How to be an Educational Disruptor”)

Professional headshot of Bruno Lyra, who is wearing a collared shirt under a blazer and has long, wavy dark hair and a dark beard and mustache.

Bruno Lyra, 2024 TFS Recipient

Faculty, Film Production

Andrés Sevilla wearing a white collared shirt inside a navy blue blazer and looking up and off to the left. Andrés has short brown hair and a beard and mustache.

Andrés Sevilla, 2025 TFS Recipient

Faculty, Graphic Design and Interactive Media

Professional headshot of Mona Hoorvash, who is wearing a blue collared shirt under a dark blazer and has shoulder-length wavy brown hair.

Mona Hoorvash, 2025 Yorkville U Recipient

Faculty, Liberal Arts (Yorkville BC)

Professional headshot of Deborah Seabrook, who is wearing a white shirt under a dark blazer and has shoulder-length light brown hair.

Deborah Seabrook, 2025 Yorkville U Recipient

Faculty, Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology (Yorkville U NB)

Erin Martyn, 2025 Yorkville U Recipient

Faculty, Interior Design (Yorkville U ON)

Professional headshot of Rahul Jain, who is wearing a striped collared shirt and has short brown hair.

Rahul Jain, 2025 Yorkville U Recipient

Faculty, Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology (Yorkville U NB)

Adjudication Process, Timelines, and Rubrics

At the CTEI, we are committed to transparency around teaching awards and demystifying and simplifying the process as much as possible for nominators, applicants, adjudicators, and all the Yorkville + TFS community. Below, you will find a number of resources that outline some of the administrative pieces to these awards, in hopes that they may provide some insights to support your nomination or application or ease your mind as to what comes next in the process.

Process

The award application and adjudication process takes roughly six months.

  • Months 1 – 2
    • Applications and Nomination Portal Available.
 
  • Month 3
    • Application and Nomination Portal Closes.
    • Program Directors/Deans/Chairs Review Applications.
    • Vice-Presidents Sign-Off on Adjudication List.
 
  • Month 4
    • Adjudication Committee Reviews Applications.
    • Adjudication Committee Determines Conversation/Interview List.
 
  • Month 5
    • Individual Candidate Conversations/Interviews.
 
  • Month 6
    • Recipients and Shortlisted Candidates Identified.
    • Presidential Sign-Off.
    • Recipients, Shortlisted Candidates, Applicants, and Nominators Informed.
 

Adjudication rubric

During the first rounds of the adjudication process, applicant files are reviewed using a rubric that aligns with the award criteria. The excel file contains three tabs: 1) Guidance for adjudicators; 2) Descriptions of the criteria (Learning Environments, Feedback, Inclusivity, Authentic Learning Opportunities, Living Our Core Values, and Unique/Special); and, 3) the Adjudication Form.

Interview rubric
During the final stage of the adjudication process, selected applicants are invited to a 30-minute conversation/interview with the adjudication committee, consisting of six questions. Adjudicators work from a set list of questions and adjudication criteria that aligns with the award criteria and the first rounds of adjudication.


Handbook
The President’s Award for Teaching Excellence Adjudication Handbook provides an extensive outline of the adjudication process for both the Yorkville and TFS awards.

An infographic of the timeline for the president's award for teaching excellence, involving six steps. Each step has a cartoon illustrated figure next to it. 1. Nominate & Apply: For roughly 6 weeks, the nomination and application portals are open. 2. First Review: Depending on your faculty, Program Directors/ Chairs/ Deans provide a first review of the applications and select applicants to move to the next stage. 3. VP Sign-Off: Campus Vice-Presidents sign off on applicants and send to the adjudication committee. 4. Second Review: Adjudication committee adjudicate selected applicants and invite a selection of applicants to a conversation/ interview. 5. Conversations: Selected applicants are invited to 30-minute conversations/ interviews with the adjudication committee. 6. Presidential Sign-Off: YU or TFS President is informed of the adjudication committee’s recommendations for the recipients and Campus Shortlists of the award.

“Teaching is a gift. Teaching is a passion. Teaching changes lives. Teaching builds industries. […] What a privilege to be surrounded by such incredible instructors…who are making lasting impacts and supporting our industry every day.”


– Andrew Barnsley, President, Toronto Film School (LinkedIn post)

Resources and Support

The Centre offers ongoing support for applicants and nominators for the Yorkville + TFS Presidents’ Awards for Teaching Excellence or other external awards and fellowships that recognize outstanding teaching.

Synchronous Events 

The Centre offers numerous workshops and other synchronous events that can explicitly, or implicitly, support a teaching award application.  

Check out our CTEI Events Calendar to see what’s on!  

Connect With Us

Not sure where to start? Looking for a conversational partner as you consider and application or nomination? Don’t hesitate to reach out to us anytime via email ([email protected]) and/or our Connect with the Centre form! 

External Resources 

Matthew Dunleavy wearing a pink and purple polka-dot shirt under a grey blazer with red-framed glasses and a long reddish-brown beard smiling into the camera
Matthew Dunleavy

Senior Educational Developer, Faculty Excellence and Development

[email protected] 

Matthew Dunleavy (he/him) is an educational developer and scholarly teacher with over 10+ years’ experience. In addition to working at the CTEI, Matthew serves as the Vice-Chair of the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE). Before joining the CTEI, Matthew was an Educational Developer in the Teaching Commons at York University; before entering that role, he served as the Program Director of the Online Learning and Technology Consultants (OLTC) Program at the Maple League of Universities (Acadia University; Bishop’s University; Mount Allison University; and St. Francis Xavier University). In 2022, he was awarded the D2L Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning by STLHE for this work.