CoDEI Seeks Nominations for Student Diversity Engagement Award

The Council for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Rochester School of Nursing is seeking nominations for the Student Diversity Engagement Award. The award will acknowledge a deserving nursing student for significant work that they have done related to diversity, equity, and/or inclusion. Nominations are due July 23, 2021.

Description

This award given on behalf of the Council for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, serves to exemplify the School of Nursing’s vision of leading the national agenda in transforming the discipline of nursing through innovative education, practice, and research to improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities. The award is given to a nursing student who has demonstrated a commitment to diversity, equity, and/or inclusion either through work within the community, university at large, or within the medical center. Recipients of this award will receive a plaque and $500.00. This award is presented at convocation.

Eligibility Criteria

• Matriculated student (full-time or part-time) enrolled in an SON program of study at the time of nomination.
• Engagement (current or within the past 12 months) in an activity that promotes awareness and action towards diversity, inclusion, and/or equity through direct interaction.

Instructions for Nomination

• Nominations may be submitted by a student, faculty, or staff member.
• Nominations must include a brief typed essay (< 500 words) describing the scope of the nominee’s DEI activity(s), impact (i.e. the way their work has challenged power imbalances), and legacy (how this work has empowered others to make changes) of their interactions.
  • Please answer the following questions in the essay:
    1. What diversity, equity, and/or inclusion issues does your work address? What makes this a significant issues?
    2. Describe the structural (institutional or societal) barriers or interpersonal challenges that you have addressed directly through your work?
    3. Who has benefitted the most from this work? How?
    4. What do you hope to do to continue this work?
• All nominations must also be accompanied by a one-page letter of support for the nominee (the author of this letter must be different than the author of the essay).
• Self-nomination is encouraged but will also require a letter of support.

Selection Process

• Nominations will be reviewed by a panel of five judges from the Council for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
• Selection will be based on: (a) the quality of the essay (clarity, comprehension, absence of grammatical, spelling, and usage errors), (b) letter of support, and (c) the perceived impact of the student’s contribution.
• Deadline for submission of all nomination material is July 23, 2021.
• Notification of the selection committee’s decision will come in early August 2021.