Outreach and Engagement Award Guidelines

THE COLLEGE OF NATURAL SCIENCES EXCELLENCE IN OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT AWARD 
Application Criteria and Guidelines

Deadline: February 7th, 2025

The CNS Excellence in Outreach and Engagement Award recognizes and honors faculty and Extension professionals for their excellence and achievement in outreach or professional service external to UMass Amherst. Recipients receive a $1,000 honorarium. 

Eligibility

  • Faculty are nominated by department heads/chairs or a suitable designee. 
  • Faculty who received this award or another University outreach award in the past five years are not eligible.

Award Criteria

  • Successful nominees will have demonstrated outstanding contributions to the relevant professional communities, and/or outstanding engagement with other external constituents (e.g., the K-12 sector or the general community).
  • Contributions may be spread over a relatively long time period, such as a major portion of a career, and may be characterized by contributions in more than one area.
  • Engagement with external constituencies must be related to the nominee’s academic scholarship or Extension appointment.

The Nomination Process

Use this form to submit a nomination (Nomination Form). You will be asked to provide: 

  1. A nomination letter written and submitted by the department head/chair (or a suitable designee) (maximum 2 pages). The letter should advocate for the nominee and outline the case for why and how the nominee has met the award criteria. If the nomination letter is from someone other than the department head/chair, it should also indicate the relationship between the nominator and nominee. 
  2. An abbreviated CV that includes a list of the nominee's outreach and engagement activities (maximum of five pages).
  3. An optional letter of support. The letter should:
    • demonstrate how the nominee meets the criteria for the award;
    • describe the relationship between the letter writer and the nominee.

Deadline

Nominations for the CNS Excellence in Outreach & Engagement Award are due no later than 5 p.m. on February 7th, 2025.