Nominations are due Tuesday, October 05, 2021
We are pleased to request nominations of UW–Madison faculty, staff, departments, or units for the UW System’s 2021 Regents Diversity Awards. Please share this call widely.
UW System Regents Diversity Award Background
The purpose of this award is to recognize institutional change agents who have established a successful record in fostering greater access and success for students who are members of historically underrepresented populations (including African American, Native American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian American, and Southeast Asian), first-generation and/or economically disadvantaged.
Established by the Board of Regents during Plan 2008, the award signifies the Board’s commitment to “…achieving educational diversity at all UW System institutions… in order to fully develop advanced human potential, the jobs that employ that potential, and the flourishing of communities that sustain it,” (UW Board of Regents Resolution # 8970). This commitment continues in the current Inclusive Excellence framework.
We encourage nomination of individuals, departments, programs, units and teams that have established a successful record in fostering greater access and success for students who are members of historically underrepresented populations (including African American, Native American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian American, and Southeast Asian), first-generation and/or economically disadvantaged are encouraged. Nominations must meaningfully address efforts fostering greater access and success for students who are members of underrepresented populations, first-generation, and/or economically disadvantaged to be considered.
Categories:
- Individual – Any individual affiliated with the UW System and its institutions, including but not limited, to faculty, staff, and students.
- Department/Program/Unit/Team – Academic or support department, or program, or initiative within the larger institution, or a student, faculty, or staff organization or team recognized as a bona-fide group within the institution. Teams are not limited to formal organizational units.
Criteria:
Each nomination must provide evidence of outcomes and impacts on the eligible population(s), disaggregating data where appropriate (qualitative and/or quantitative evidence of outcomes/impacts), using all of the following criteria:
- Sustainable positive impact on equity and diversity, leading to positive institutional change.
- Accountability demonstrated through routine assessment and use of feedback loops to promote forward movement on equity and diversity goals.
- Intersections across multiple dimensions of diversity.
- Collaborations with other units, departments, or communities, both within the institution and beyond.
Focus Areas:
Reflecting the broad range of activities that foster access and success for students from diverse backgrounds, the following focus areas serve as a guide in identifying the types of exemplary efforts appropriate for this award:
- Improved student academic performance through efforts grounded in theories, concepts, and/or methodologies that enhance diversity and advance equity, social justice, multiculturalism, educational reform, and/or inclusion.
- Effective initiatives or efforts aimed at closing opportunity and equity gaps for underrepresented students. This may include work aimed at closing opportunity or equity gaps among students within specific disciplines, such as teacher education or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), using pedagogies, concepts, and practices that enhance diversity and advance equity, social justice, multiculturalism, educational reform, and/or inclusion.
- Increased retention and degree attainment among students who are members of historically underrepresented populations (including African American, Native American, Latinx, Asian American, and Southeast Asian), first-generation, and/or economically disadvantaged.
- Evidence of an established record of achievement in personal or professional development efforts related to advising, mentoring, recruitment, retention, promotion, and graduation of underrepresented faculty, staff, or students.
- Demonstrated K-16 pipeline efforts, such as precollege and bridge programs that enhance/improve the college readiness of young adults who reside in Wisconsin.
Materials:
Nomination packets should include:
- Letter of Nomination: A letter of nomination that clearly addresses the four award criteria (sustainability, accountability, intersections, and collaborations).
- Statement by the Nominee: A statement describing the exemplary work of the individual, department, program, unit, or team (4-page limit). The statement by the nominee should clearly articulate measurable evidence of their impact and achievements under each of the four award criteria (sustainability, accountability, intersections, and collaborations).
- Resume / Curriculum Vitae: A three- to five-page resume/CV of the nominee. For the Department/Program/Unit/Team nominee, please include the resume/CV for the coordinator/head/chair.
- Letters of Support: Two or three letters of support addressing the achievements of the individual or department, program, unit or team from:
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- Chancellor, Provost, and/or Dean.
- Department Chair, Program Coordinator, Unit Head, immediate supervisor, or advisor.
- An individual who has first-hand knowledge of the individual, department, program, unit or team.
**Up to three awards of $7,500 each will be made to individuals, departments, programs, units, and/or teams in recognition of their exceptional efforts in fostering greater equity and diversity across their universities and communities. The funds for these awards are designated to support individualized professional development or continuing programmatic activities. The Regents Diversity Awards Committee will select the award recipients.
It is anticipated that award recipients will be publicly recognized at the February 11, 2022 meeting of the Board of Regents.
Please send a nomination package to UW-Madison 2021 Regent Award Nomination by Tuesday, October 5 at 4 p.m. CT. A small campus selection committee, including members of the Provost’s Office and Deputy Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion will convene to select the UW – Madison recipient for the individual and unit/department nomination. Final nominations for UW–Madison will be submitted to UW System.
Cheryl B. Gittens, Ed.D.
Associate Vice Provost for Student Diversity & Scholarship Programs
Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement
University of Wisconsin–Madison