Architecture students reviewing drawings with faculty member

Public Service Awards

Public service awards at the University of Virginia recognize faculty for outstanding community-engaged scholarship undertaken with students. Nominations may be made for teaching, creative activity, outreach, and other forms of community-engaged scholarship that contribute to the wellbeing of communities and to the advancement of the University's mission of public service. Exceptional candidates are identified through a nomination process and selected by a committee of faculty, staff, and community members. Faculty, students, and staff may nominate any salaried member of the faculty; faculty wage employees are not eligible. Questions about the awards process or dossier materials should be addressed to Ellen Blackmon.

Completed nomination packets are due by 5:00 p.m.  On January 13, 2025.

 


Awards

Open Award - Excellence in Public Service

Qualifications

This award recognizes a faculty member whose work demonstrates the greatest positive impact in a particular place or community AND who has undertaken that work together with students.


Eligibility

Full-time faculty at any rank, tenured, tenure-track, or non-tenure track are eligible to apply.


Award Information

Award is $3000 for faculty member’s personal use and an additional $3000 to be used in support of the program for which the award was given.

The Provost awards up to two per year.


Nomination Requirements

All dossiers must conform to these requirements. Any that do not will not be considered by the committee.

  • Compile all dossier material into a single PDF file.
  • Include all dossier elements outlined below in the order that they are listed. 
  1. Project summary (1 page) of the dossier signed by the dean or chair, as appropriate. The most useful summary does more than list the contents and reiterate the letters. In its own words the summary illustrates why the Public Service Awards Committee should give an award to the nominee. Thus it makes a clear, persuasive case for the nominee. For example, the executive summary might identify the main reasons for the nomination and/or summarize to the nominee’s strengths and talents.
  2. Nominee’s abbreviated curriculum vitae (2 pages)
  3. Nominee’s reflective and personal statement (2 pages) about public service. The committee is looking at how nominees outline the research, teaching, or service work that resulted in the project with the greatest positive impact in a particular place or community, and how nominees articulate their beliefs about and commitment to public service working together with students.
  4. Letters of support (1 page each) from the following individuals/organizations:
    1. Nominator
    2. Faculty Peer
    3. Faculty Peer
    4. Student
    5. Student
    6. Community Partner

Check back in December for submission instructions.

Open Award - Collaborative Excellence in Public Service

Qualifications

This award recognizes a team of faculty members, from diverse departments and disciplines, who demonstrate the greatest collaborative impact on societal wellbeing in a particular place or community AND who have pursued that wellbeing together with students.


Eligibility

Full-time faculty at any rank, tenured, tenure-track, or non-tenure track are eligible to apply.


Award Information

Award is $3000 for each faculty member, up to three, and an additional $3000 to be used in support of the program for which the award was given.

The Provost awards up to two per year.


Nomination Requirements

All dossiers must conform to these requirements. Any that do not will not be considered by the committee.

  • Compile all dossier material into a single PDF file.
  • Include all dossier elements outlined below in the order that they are listed. 
  1. Project summary (3 pages) of the dossier signed by the dean(s) or chair(s), as appropriate. The most useful summary does more than list the contents and reiterate the letters. In its own words the summary illustrates why the Public Service Awards Committee should give an award to the nominee. Thus it makes a clear, persuasive case for the nominees. For example, the executive summary might identify the main reasons for the nomination and/or summarize to the nominees’ strengths and talents.
  2. Nominees’ abbreviated curricula vitae (2 pages per nominee, up to 3 nominees)
  3. Nominees’ reflective and personal statements (1 page per nominee, up to 3 nominees) about public service. The committee is looking at how nominees outline the collaborative research, teaching, or service work that resulted in the project with the greatest positive impact in a particular place or community, and how nominees articulate their beliefs about and commitment to public service working together with students.
  4. Letters of support (1 page each) from the following individuals/organizations:
    1. Non-team Faculty Peer
    2. Non-team Faculty Peer
    3. Student
    4. Student
    5. Community Partner

Check back in December for submission instructions.