This award celebrates an individual or team that has led a change and innovation initiative to create a more just, equitable, diverse, and/or inclusive environment within their institution.

This change positively impacted their department, campus, and/or local community. The NCCI Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Award was established in 2022.

Criteria 

The initiative must be a recent achievement within the past two years and demonstrate at least one of the following:

  • Has designed and promoted efforts focused on educating and empowering individuals to learn and demonstrate inclusive values
  • Has led recruitment and outreach initiatives focused on increasing diverse representation
  • Has championed social justice efforts to enhance equitable policies, procedures, and/or funding opportunities

Eligibility

Any NCCI member institution or individual at a member institution is eligible for this award. Individuals may self-nominate or be nominated by a colleague. An individual can submit a nomination on behalf of their team, department, or campus.

An email will be sent to confirm the submission was received. A committee, composed of NCCI volunteers, will review materials to make a selection. One recipient will be chosen and notified in late May. One physical award will be given to the recipient, who will be recognized at the Annual Conference and in subsequent publications.

NCCI is accepting nominations until May 1, 2024. Nominate HERE.

Award Recipients

Last year’s recipient is Johns Hopkins University, which has implemented Realizing Our Promise: The Second Roadmap on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, their institution-wide DEI strategic plan. The roadmap is designed to create sustainable change for their staff, faculty, students, alumni, and surrounding community members.  

This inaugural award was presented to the Engineering Systems and Environment (ESE) Department from the University of Virginia for their ESE Cares Initiative. The ESE Cares mission is to bring together students, staff, faculty, and the greater Charlottesville area by contributing in meaningful ways to establish a direct relationship with the community’s children and their families. To name a few initiatives, they’ve presented engineering programs such as M3 for minority students interested in STEM, built access ramps in the community, and raised more than $10,000 for citizens in Charlottesville. The ESE Department strives for a community in which all members are acknowledged and appreciated for the characteristics that make us diverse, which has created an innovative, efficient, and enjoyable department to learn, work, and advance.