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Excellence in Community Engagement Awards
The Center for Community Engagement is now accepting nominations for the 2022-2023 Excellence in Community Engagement Awards. The annual award recognizes and celebrates the very best of what WVU and our partners have to offer in terms of civic and community engagement. These awards reflect WVU’s land-grant mission, LEAP Goals, and the Center for Community Engagement’s values. These Community Engagement awards may also serve as a springboard for nominations to national awards such as the C. Peter Magrath & W.K. Kellogg Foundation Awards and the Engagement Scholarship Consortium awards.
Timeline
- Nominations are now closed for the 2023 rounds.
- Notification of Awards: March 24, 2023
Award Banquet, April 20, 2023, 6 - 7 p.m., Erickson Alumni
Cole Unger Excellence in Social Action Award
The Excellence in Social Action Award is presented by the CCE to recognize a student or student group who have used innovation, creativity, partnerships and passion to make a change in our community. Social action impact is determined by demonstration of one or more of the following:
- Service - Supported the increased participation in volunteer service or dedicated time and support for disaster relief
- Curiosity – Used innovative, creative means of to serve the community
- Respect -- Promoted civility or inclusion through an action project
- Accountability - Served an identified community need
- Appreciation -- Participated in a project that promotes community/campus relationships
Undergraduate Student Award for Excellence in Community Engagement
The Undergraduate Student Award for Excellence in Community Engagement is presented by the CCE to recognize undergraduate students at West Virginia University who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to community that embodies the mission and vision of West Virginia University through the values of service, curiosity, respect, accountability, and appreciation.
Eligibility
Must be a full or part-time undergraduate student enrolled at West Virginia University during the current Academic Year.
Criteria
The student receiving this award will have made a meaningful contribution to the community through community engagement, civic action, advocacy, and/or continuous service. This can be demonstrated through the following:
- Service Engaged in service with others from campus or surrounding communities in order to solve a new or existing problem.
- Curiosity Sought out new, innovative ways to improve the community and lives of others.
- Respect Took action to address issues of inequality and social, racial and economic justice.
- Accountability Demonstrated the motivation and commitment to long-term engagement.
- Appreciation Enriched the lives of others in the campus and surrounding community through positive commitment to change.
Graduate Student Award for Excellence in Community Engagement
The Graduate Student Award for Excellence in Community Engagement is presented by the CCE to recognize undergraduate students at West Virginia University who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to community that embodies the mission and vision of West Virginia University through the values of service, curiosity, respect, accountability, and appreciation.
Eligibility
Must be a full or part-time graduate student enrolled at West Virginia University during the current Academic Year.
Criteria
The student receiving this award will have made a meaningful contribution to the community through community engagement, civic action, advocacy, and/or continuous service. This can be demonstrated through the following:
- Service Engaged in service with others from campus or surrounding communities in order to solve a new or existing problem.
- Curiosity Sought out new, innovative ways to improve the community and lives of others.
- Respect Took action to address issues of inequality and social, racial and economic justice.
- Accountability Demonstrated the motivation and commitment to long-term engagement.
- Appreciation Enriched the lives of others in the campus and surrounding community through positive commitment to change.
Faculty Award for Excellence in Community Engagement
Eligibility
All full- and part-time faculty members.
Criteria
The faculty member receiving this award demonstrates a commitment to community engagement, values reciprocal relationships with the community and inspires those around them to make a positive community impact. This can be demonstrated through the following:
- Service - Demonstrates integration of community engagement in one’s teaching, research, and/or service
- Curiosity - Explores and contributes to positive change on issues of public concern
- Respect - Demonstrates commitment to reciprocal community partnerships
- Accountability - Creates institutional impact through development of culture, programs or policies that promote meaningful engagement at WVU
- Appreciation - Commitment to community stakeholders, such as recognition of partners as co-educators, evaluation results that show benefits for communities as well as students, etc.
Staff Award for Excellence in Community Engagement
The Staff Award for Excellence in Community Engagement is presented by the CCE to recognize staff members at West Virginia University who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to community that embodies the mission and vision of West Virginia University through the values of service, curiosity, respect, accountability, and appreciation.
Eligibility
Must be a full-time or part-time administrative or professional staff member.
Criteria
The staff member receiving this award will have made a meaningful contribution to the community through community engagement, civic action, advocacy, and/or continuous service. This can be demonstrated through the following:
- Service - Identified an existing problem and inspired others to act.
- Curiosity - Sought out new, innovative ways to improve the community and lives of others.
- Respect - Strove to find inclusive, transparent solutions to problems arising in the broader community.
- Accountability - Consistently committed to inspiring and improving the lives of other individuals and groups.
- Appreciation - Worked to raise expectations and recognition for others in the community.
Award for Excellence in Service-Learning Instruction
Eligibility
Anyone who instructs a course using service-learning pedagogy.
Criteria
The instructor receiving this award demonstrates a commitment to high impact teaching through service-learning, values relationships with the community and inspires students to make a positive community impact. This can be demonstrated through the following:
- Service - Incorporates service-learning pedagogy into instructional methods of at least one credit bearing course
- Curiosity - Inspires students in academic service-learning by trying new models, reflecting with students and making improvements
- Respect - Takes community partner needs into account when developing service-learning projects
- Accountability - Expands the culture of service-learning at WVU and within a department by designating service courses and sharing impact
- Appreciation - Clearly values relationship with community partners
Outstanding Community Partner Award
Recognizes a community partner that has established a strong reciprocal and sustainable relationship promoting civic engagement. This partner serves as a co-educator of students providing community-based learning opportunities that embody the University Values of Service, Curiosity, Respect, Accountability, and Appreciation.
Eligibility
Must be an active official CommUNITY Partner organization of the Center for Community Engagement. View a list of community partners here.
Criteria
The recipient of this award has made a significant contribution to WVU’s culture of engagement; strengthening our ability to support the communities we serve. This can be demonstrated through the following:
- Service - Creates well planned, intentional service opportunities that positively impact communities
- Curiosity - Seeks out innovative ways to engage students, identifying and developing their talents and assets.
- Respect - Collaborates positively with students, faculty, and community providing thoughtful and informative insight.
- Accountability - Demonstrates understanding of their role and responsibility as a community educator of students.
- Appreciation - Clearly values students and is reciprocal in the relationship with the University
Outstanding Campus Partner Award
Recognizes a campus partner organization or unit that has established a strong reciprocal and sustainable relationship promoting campus or community service and engagement. This campus partner serves as a co-educator of students, providing engaged learning opportunities that embody the University Values of Service, Curiosity, Respect, Accountability, and Appreciation.
Eligibility
Must be an active official campus partner of the Center for Community Engagement.
Criteria
The recipient of this award has made a significant contribution to WVU’s culture of engagement; strengthening our ability to support the communities we serve. This can be demonstrated through the following:
- Service - Creates well planned, intentional service opportunities that positively impact communities
- Curiosity - Seeks out innovative ways to engage students, identifying and developing their talents and assets.
- Respect - Collaborates positively with students, faculty, and community providing thoughtful and informative insight.
- Accountability - Demonstrates understanding of their role and responsibility as a community educator of students.
- Appreciation - Clearly values students and is reciprocal in their relationship with the University.
National Service Award
The National Service Award for the Excellence in Community Engagement is presented by the Center for Service and Learning to recognize National Service members at West Virginia University who have gone above and beyond demonstrating the ability to build capacity within higher education through civic engagement and community partnerships.
Eligibility
Must be an AmeriCorps member who has served with the VISTA Collaborative at West Virginia University within the last two years.
Criteria
The AmeriCorps member receiving this award will have a sustained impact on the state of West Virginia through community engagement, civic action, advocacy, and/or continuous service. This can be demonstrated through the following:
- Service - Developed engagement opportunities to strengthen the campus and community needs
- Curiosity - Displayed the ability to take initiative, be resourceful, and resilient in the face of addressing community needs
- Respect - took action to address community needs surrounding education, economic opportunity, disaster services, environmental stewardship, veterans, and healthy futures
- Accountability - demonstrates an understanding of their role and responsibility as an AmeriCorps member
- Appreciation - Enriched the lives of others on the campus and surrounding community through positive commitment to change
Engaged Scholar Award for Research
This award honors WVU scholars whose research engages community partners in reciprocal relationships to co-produce knowledge, resulting in public value and recognizable scholarly impact in their field(s) of inquiry.
Eligibility
All WVU faculty (including tenured and tenure-track faculty, lecturers, medical faculty, adjuncts, visiting faculty, doctoral, and postdoctoral fellows) are eligible.
Criteria (in addition to alignment with the university’s mission and the Center for Community Engagement’s values):
- Record of achievement in their area(s) of research, appropriate to their position and career stage
- Collaboration with community partner(s) throughout the research process from defining research questions through analysis and dissemination
- Evidence of positive results for community stakeholders, as well as contributions to (inter)disciplinary knowledge
- Relevant scholarly publications, conference presentations, performances, and/or public communications