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University Inclusive Excellence Awards

University Inclusive Excellence Awards

These awards are given to individual faculty, staff, undergraduate, and graduate students, as well as university offices, departments, centers, and divisions. Award recipients are recognized for their deep investment to inclusive excellence and furthering ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú's commitment to an inclusive and welcoming community for all. Individuals, groups, offices, and divisions who receive an award will be ineligible to receive the same award again for two academic years.

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Photo:  From left to right- Patti Liberatore, Joyce Fernandez, Wilnelly Ventura-Valentin, Carolyn Craig, Brian Kirkmeyer, Keisha Norris, Ande Durjaiye, Payton Smith, Sewth Seward, Gwenmarie Ewing, M. Cristina Alcalde.

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2024 University Diversity and Inclusion Awards! Recipients were recognized for their exemplary commitment and contributions to advancing diversity and inclusion at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú at the University Awards Ceremony on April 5th.

Thank you to the award recipients, and to every ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú community member whose efforts contribute to making ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú more inclusively excellent for all.

Ray of Light Award

This award recognizes faculty and staff of the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University community who have demonstrated, advanced, or promoted activities, programs, or actions that have supported campus efforts to help enrich the experiences of faculty, staff, and students.

Current Award Recipients

2024 Award Recipients

Keisha Norris, Assistant Director of Advising and Student Initiatives; Academic Advisor, Undeclared CEC and EGM, College of Engineering and Computing

Seth Seward, Assistant Director, Alumni Relations

2023 Award Recipients

Laura Birkenhauer, Student Success Librarian for Campus Engagement

Jennifer Heston-Mullins, Associate Director of Research and Senior Research Scholar, Scripps Gerontology Center

Darryl B. Rice, Assistant Professor, Farmer School of Business

 

Previous Award Recipients

2022 Award Recipients

Akanksha Das, Doctoral Student, Department of Psychology

Fauzia Ahmed, Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Gerontology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program

2021 Award Recipients

Sara Acevedo, Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Psychology

Mecca Abdul-Azziz, Graduate Assistant, Office of Residence Life

Amber Franklin, Associate Professor, Director of the Language Learning Pronounciation and Perception Lab (L2P2)

Carrie Chambers, Coordinator of E-Campus Student Engagement

2020 Award Recipients

Tarah Trueblood, Center for American and World Cultures
Intergroup Dialogue

Jonika Moore, Admissions, Bridges Program

Vicka Bell Robinson, Residence Life, Diversity Taskforce

Kenya Ash, Office of Equity & Equal Opportunity, Across the Divide Diversity Conference

Betsy Kreger, Office of Equity & Equal Opportunity, Across the Divide Diversity Conference

2019 Award Recipients

Eun Chong Yang, International Faculty and Staff Association

Center for Career Exploration and Success

Bennyce Hamilton, ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Regionals Diversity and Multicultural Services

Denise Krallman, Office of Institutional Research

Diversity and Inclusion Student Advocate Award

This award recognizes a current student who has worked tirelessly on campus and/or in the local community to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. This could have been accomplished through programming, policy, community building, and/or other initiatives to support ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University’s commitment to an inclusive campus community.

Current Award Recipients

2024 Award Recipients

Payton Smith, Undergraduate Student, Farmer School of Business

Wilnelly Ventura-Valentín, Graduate Student, College of Arts and Science

2023 Award Recipient

Kennedy Hughes, Undergraduate Student, College of Arts and Science

Inclusive Excellence Distinguished Service Award

This award recognizes the creative/academic contributions of a unit steeped in a consistent record of service that has highlighted or supported diversity and inclusion or directly shaped and positively affected the meaning and understanding of diversity and inclusion on campus.

Current Award Recipients

2024 Award Recipient

LSAMP Advisory Board

2023 Award Recipient

Student Counseling Service 

 

Previous Award Recipients

2022 Award Recipient

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University Libraries DEI Committee

2021 Award Recipients

The Farmer School of Business Student Organizations and Diversity

The Enrollment Management and Student Success Inclusive Excellence Committee

2020 Award Recipients

David Seidl, Information Technology Services

Sean Poley, Information Technology Services

David Saylor, InterCollegiate Athletics

Jude Kelly, InterCollegiate Athletics

Breanna Robinson, InterCollegiate Athletics

2019 Award Recipient

University Communications and Marketing

Diversity Event of the Year Award

This award recognizes an individual (faculty, staff, or student) or group who hosted an event or series that engaged the campus community in a meaningful diversity and inclusion experience. The event should have been a collaborative effort with various campus stakeholders to extend the scope and impact of the event on campus.

Current Award Recipients

2024 Award Recipient

Electric Root Festival

2023 Award Recipient

Queer and Transgender Conference and Convention, QT-Con

 

Previous Award Recipients

2022 Award Recipients

Annual Latin American and Caribbean UniDiversity Festival

A Day of Reflection: 175th Anniversary of the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Tribes’ Removal from their Homelands

Institutional Inclusive Excellence Award

This signature award is the premier award at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University that recognizes trailblazers on campus who have led or impacted policy changes, innovative programming, and/or demonstrated scholarly contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion.  This individual's leadership has inspired transformative change which not only meets ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s commitment to inclusive excellence but amplifies this mission through their extensive commitment to this work. Faculty, staff, and students are eligible to apply.

Current Award Recipients

2024 Award Recipient

Ande Durojaiye, Vice President and Dean, ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University Regionals, College of Liberal Arts and Applied Sciences

Patti Liberatore, Assistant Dean, External Relations and Performing Arts Series Director.

2023 Award Recipient

Jacqueline Johnson, University Libraries

 

Previous Award Recipients

2022 Award Recipient

Rose Marie Ward, Professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Health and Associate Dean of the Graduate School

2021 Award Recipient

Gillian Oakenfull, Professor and Faculty Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Farmer School of Business

2020 Award Recipient

Carolyn Craig, Affinity Group Support, Dviersity Certificate Program

2019 Award Recipients

Jerome Conley, University Libraries

Robert Keller, Planning and Design Manager

 

Office of Transformational and Inclusive Excellence

Our mission is to empower each student, staff, and faculty member to promote and become engaged citizens who use their acquired knowledge and skills with integrity and compassion to improve the future of the community and the world.