Faculty and Graduate Student Excellence in Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Awards
These awards (one at the faculty level and one at the graduate student level) are intended to recognize individuals who, to an extraordinary degree, enhanced departmental excellence by fostering an academically enriching and supportive climate for all members of our community, with particular attention to members of groups that have persistent and long-standing underrepresentation in the academy. This includes under-representation with respect to social identities such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and socioeconomic status.
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Eligibility Criteria
The award recognizes outstanding accomplishments and general impact in any or all of the following areas:
1. Teaching: Development and implementation of effective strategies for teaching that advance the educational experiences of students from underrepresented groups in the classroom, research lab (including mentoring activities around research projects), or other academic settings. This includes attention to course content as well as instructional practices.
2. Research: Engagement in research endeavors that 1) advance our understanding of practices that improve diversity, inclusion, and equity, 2) enhance our understanding of factors that influence the experiences and outcomes of members of underrepresented groups, or 3) attend to issues of inequity with a focus on raising awareness or intervening to reduce inequity
3. Service/Outreach: Activities that promote the professional and/or academic advancement of members of underrepresented groups in psychology which may include activities such as recruitment of underrepresented students, faculty, or staff; supportive initiatives aimed at enhancing retention of underrepresented students, faculty, or staff; activities geared at engaging and supporting members of underrepresented groups in the department, broader institution, Charlottesville community and beyond. Activities that happen in conjunction with national service roles are also included.
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Application Process
Nominators for either the faculty award or graduate student award can be UVA students, faculty, or staff. Self-nominations are allowed. Nominators are asked to submit a letter of 1000 words or less, stating why the nominee meets the award criteria and is deserving of the award. Given that one letter per nominee is allowed, nominators are encouraged to work with nominees to craft the letter; multiple individuals may collaborate and endorse a nomination letter. Nominators are asked to cite specific examples in their letters. At a later date, the nominator(s) may be asked to provide additional supporting information, such as additional letters of support, upon request from the selection committee. Applicants not selected on their first attempt are encouraged to resubmit in subsequent years.
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Selection Criteria
Nomination letters are evaluated according to a set of criteria to assess nominees' commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion:
- Documented Impact in teaching and/or research and/or service/outreach; provides indicators that the efforts the nominee has undertaken have demonstrated consequences.
- Sustained and Quality of Investment in teaching and/or research and/or service/outreach over time; this is about the depth of the nominee’s commitment/involvement to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Showing Initiative and Spearheading Efforts: demonstrating commitment to diversity and inclusion through generating solutions, suggesting and creating new initiatives, practices, and/or organizations.
- Quantity and Scope of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across multiple domains, such as teaching, research, and service/outreach.
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Deadlines
Nomination letters for the 2024 faculty and graduate student awards are due March 15, 2024 and can be submitted to Debbie Snow: dm3f@virginia.edu.
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Prizes
The Graduate Student Excellence in Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity award winner will receive $500 and be recognized at the Psychology Department’s end of year celebration.
The Faculty Excellence in Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity award winner will be recognized at the Psychology Department graduation ceremony.
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Previous Award Winners
Faculty Excellence in Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity:
- Dr. Eric Turkheimer (2023)
- Dr. Sophie Trawalter (2022)
- Dr. Noelle Hurd (2021)
- Dr. Bethany Teachman (2020)
Graduate Student Excellence in Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity:
- Alexis Stanton (2023)
- Ariana Rivens (2022)
- Janelle Billingsley (2021)
- Andrea Negrete (2020)