The Outstanding Professor Awards were established by the Board of Trustees of The California State University in September 1963 to give recognition for excellence in teaching. Each year until 1995 two distinguished faculty members of the CSU were honored for the contributions made to their students, to their academic disciplines, and to their campus communities. In 1995, the state-wide Outstanding Professor Awards were discontinued, but California University Dominguez Hills has continued the program as an annual campus-based award. 

Criteria for Nomination

A nominee for an Outstanding Professor Award is expected to have a record of superlative teaching. The documentation submitted in support of a nomination is required to contain written evaluations, both from students and from faculty, which evidence excellence in teaching. No amount of professional achievement as evidenced by research and creative scholarship, or service to the campus and community shall be a substitute for this basic requirement. A significant part of each nominee's record of accomplishment shall have been established while a faculty member of The California State University.