The Outstanding Faculty Awards are the Commonwealth's highest honor for faculty at Virginia's public and private colleges and universities. These awards recognize superior accomplishments in teaching, research, and public service.

Information on the nominations process can be found in the Outstanding Faculty Awards Guidelines, which can be viewed and downloaded via the link on the right side of this page. View prior years' OFA recipients.

2026 Outstanding Faculty Awards

The State Council of Higher Education announced the recipients of the 2026 Outstanding Faculty Awards on December 22, 2025. 

Since 1987, these awards have recognized faculty at Virginia’s institutions of higher learning who exemplify the highest standards of teaching, scholarship and service.

Institutions select the nominees, then a panel of peers reviews the applications. A committee of leaders from the public and private sectors selects the final recipients. This year, the program received 81 nominations. This group narrowed to a field of 21 finalists and then to the 12 recipients.

Recipients come from campuses large and small throughout the Commonwealth and from two- and four-year institutions, private and public. Their fields of expertise range from chemistry to mental health. They have in common, however, the qualities honored by Virginia's Outstanding Faculty Awards: the highest level of scholarship, teaching, mentoring, public service and research.

2026 OFA Recipients