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OXFORD, Ohio – ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University’s Project Dragonfly has won the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) 2025 Excellence in Innovation in Graduate Education Award. 

The award is meant “to encourage, recognize, and reward excellence and innovation in graduate education,” according to , whose member colleges and universities in the central United States are accredited institutions of higher education that offer graduate programs leading to master’s, specialist, and doctorate degrees. The organization has more than 130 member institutions of higher education across 14 states and includes universities such as the University of Wisconsin Madison (the MAGS 2024 awardee), The Ohio State University, The University of Chicago, and Michigan State University. 

Project Dragonfly, which is located in the Department of Biology in ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s College of Arts and Science, created two unique and large-scale graduate programs that collaborate with 10 zoos and botanical gardens across the United States and with 16 global conservation partners in Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. The program is ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University’s largest graduate degree with approximately 600 part-time master’s students and 2,400 graduates.

“Traditional graduate programs often struggle to engage students in real-world communities to effectively learn from and directly address critical socio-ecological issues,” according to Dragonfly’s MAGS submission. “Dragonfly’s community-embedded approach and aligned curriculum provide students with immersive opportunities to study and effect positive ecological and social change globally and in their home communities.”

Dragonfly students work with Hindu priests to preserve ecologically invaluable sacred groves in the Western Ghats of India, villagers saving orangutans and other endangered species in Malaysia, a Maasai women’s group pursuing equity and sustainability in the integrated landscapes of Kenya, and citizen scientists increasing pollinator diversity through community gardens in Cincinnati.

“We are thrilled to receive this MAGS award,” said Project Dragonfly Director Katie Feilen. “The success of Dragonfly’s graduate programs is deeply rooted in our collaborative framework, which includes our zoos and botanical gardens and international conservation organizations. With these collaborations, our students can connect with leading experts in conservation, address problems using the social and ecological framework, and develop projects that make change at the local and global levels. This award recognizes the outstanding work of our students, faculty, staff, and collaborators, and we are honored to receive it on their behalf.”

Project Dragonfly and ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s Graduate School will be recognized publicly at the annual MAGS conference awards ceremony on April 3, 2025, in Indianapolis, Indiana.