Purpose

The Ryan Moser Reilly Institutional Leadership Award recognizes a campus or an entity on campuses (e.g. college, department, school, unit, program) that has made a significant contribution to transforming institutional culture that promotes community-engaged scholarship, including research, teaching, and service/practice. This award lifts up the work of higher education institutions or units within that take leadership in supporting policies, practices, and resources to advance a community-engaged culture.

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Eligibility

Nominees must be ESC institutional members.

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Evaluation Criteria

Campuses or campus units will be evaluated based on documented evidence of the following criteria:

• Community engagement is part of the philosophy and mission of the campus or unit (a clear definition, showing how their work is embedded in strategic plans across campus, part of institutional change efforts, etc.)
• Innovative support or programmatic mechanisms for faculty, staff, or students doing community engagement (depending on the unit, they will have documented ways they support faculty, staff, and/or students to do academic community-based learning, community-based research, or co-curricular community engagement, such as through incentives, support programs, rewards, etc.)
• Evidence of wide-ranging campus and/or public participation in planning and implementation of the unit's efforts (e.g., documented ways that the unit is engaging many stakeholders in their work)
• Commitment to sharing lessons learned, internal or community impacts, and cutting-edge practices with colleagues in the field)

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Submission Packet

The submission should include documentation:

• Community engagement is part of the philosophy and mission of the campus or unit (500 words): A clear definition, showing how their work is embedded in strategic plans across campus, part of institutional change efforts, etc
• Innovative support or programmatic mechanisms for faculty, staff, or student doing community engagement (500 words): Depending on the unit, they will have documented ways they support faculty, staff, and/or students to do academic community-based learning, community-based research, or co-curricular community engagement, such as through incentives, support programs, rewards, etc.)
• Evidence of wide-ranging campus and/or public participation in planning and implementation of the unit's efforts (400 words): Documentation that the unit is engaging many groups on and/or off-campus to involve them in the work of advancing community engagement across the institution.
• Commitment to sharing (400 words): Lessons learned, community impacts, and cutting-edge practices with colleagues in the field.

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Submission Deadline and Recognition Process

Nominations for 2024 recognitions are due by March 29, 2024, and are to be submitted electronically via the ESC online portal.

Materials are reviewed by a selection committee identified by the ESC Awards Committee Chair. The ESC Awards Committee and Board receive and approve committee recommendations. All nominees will be notified of their status in May 2024.

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Annual Award

$1,000; plaque; one conference registration fee waived