We welcome nominations for the first annual Chancellor's Transformational Leadership Award and the Chancellor's Emerging Leader Award. Nominations are open and will be accepted until November 22, 2023. The award recipients will be honored and recognized during the Dr. Martin Luther King Community Brunch in January of 2024.
Nominations will be accepted from any full-time UMass employee or student and will be evaluated by a cross-campus selection committee.
The Chancellor’s Transformational Leadership Award
Awarded to: Any full-time staff, faculty, or administrators during the time of selection and recognition (January 2024).
Award Amount: $1,500
Recipients of the Transformational Leadership Award will have a demonstrated commitment to our campus values on diversity, equity, and inclusion over a sustained period of time during their tenure at UMass. Recipients will have a proven record of making significant contributions to increasing equity and access on our campus by dismantling barriers and shifting systems, practices, and/or policies. Nominations should demonstrate:
- Nominee's commitment to improve the campus climate for members of underrepresented groups and to bring about systemic change at the University through their leadership, engagement, scholarship, research, teaching, and/or program development.
- Nominee's use of their leadership to alter systems, policies, or practices to promote equity, inclusion, and access within our UMass community.
- Nominee's collaborative work to allow changes to permeate our UMass community.
Chancellor's Emerging Leader Award
Awarded to: Any current faculty, postdocs, staff, or students (graduate and undergraduate) on a full-time basis during the time of selection and recognition (January 2024), who have spent less than a combined 10 years at UMass.
Award Amount: $1,500
Recipients of the Chancellor’s Emerging Leader Award will have demonstrated commitment to campus efforts to advance equity, inclusion, and access in a meaningful way at UMass Amherst. Recipients will have a proven record of leading programs and initiatives and facilitating change to improve the experiences of marginalized and underrepresented groups. Nominations should demonstrate:
- How the nominee enriches the UMass community by creating and sustaining programs/initiatives that improve our commitment to equity, inclusion, and access.
- Nominee's collaborative work to allow changes to permeate our UMass community.
Nomination Materials
Please have the following materials ready for your nomination:
- A cover letter that names the nominee and why they should be considered for the award based on the selection criteria. Maximum 2 pages.
- A CV/short biosketch provided by the nominee which includes a detailed account of how they are an emerging leader who prioritizes equity, inclusion and access in their work. Maximum 2 pages.
- Two letters of support from within the nominee’s unit that demonstrate the leadership exhibited internally. Maximum page per letter.
- Optional: Additional letters of support from other parties and/or other documentation that describe how the outcomes of this leadership have benefited the community. Please collate into one document if there are multiple additional letters or documents. Maximum of 4 pages total.
- Files should be named in this format for clarity: 'NomineeName_CV' (e.g., JaneDoe_CV); 'NomineeName_Letter' (e.g., JaneDoe_Letter).
