Presidential Awards for Inclusive Excellence - Office of University Engagement and Enrichment

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The Presidential Awards for Inclusive Excellence honor faculty, staff, students, alumni, trustees, and community members and organizations whose accomplishments cultivate a profound sense of belonging and thriving for all members of our community.

The annual awards, announced each spring, celebrate leaders who embody our Meliora values. Collectively, they help make the University of Rochester a place where everyone can learn, discover, heal, create, and make the world ever better.

We welcome and encourage nominations from the entire University community for the six awards detailed below. Nominations are due by Friday, January 23.

The nomination form requests the following information:

Nominator and nominee contact information
Written statement explaining why the nominee deserves the award and how their actions, activities, or accomplishments cultivate a sense of belonging for all
Photo of nominee
Additional supporting materials (optional)

All nominees and their nominators will be invited to attend the awards ceremony and reception on Tuesday, March 31. Registration will open in early 2026.

Award categories and eligibility

Advocacy and Action Award – Faculty

Recognizes postdoctoral fellows and faculty who exemplify excellence in developing and sustaining a culture of belonging.

Advocacy and Action Award – Staff

Recognizes staff who exemplify excellence in developing and sustaining a culture of belonging.

Inclusive Workforce Award

Recognizes departments, offices, programs, and teams that aim to enhance a culture and climate of belonging among faculty, staff, and/or students.

Changemaker Award

Recognizes students—undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral fellow—and student organizations who aim to cultivate transformative change at the University of Rochester.

Bridge to Equity Award

Recognizes members from a bargaining group who lead actions that eliminate barriers for others in the University community.

Social Impact Award

Recognizes a community organization or member from the Greater Rochester community who strives for meaningful social change.

Presidential Award 2026 Nomination Form

Nominator information

Name of Nominator(Required)

Nominator’s role/position at the University(Required)

Email Address(Required)

Phone(Required)

Award Category

Which award are you submitting a nomination for?(Required)

Advocacy and Action Award – Faculty

Advocacy and Action Award – Staff

Inclusive Workforce Award

Changemaker Award

Bridge to Equity Award

Social Impact Award

Nominee Information

Name of nominee(Required)

First Last

Nominee’s role/position at the University(Required)

Nominee’s email address(Required)

Nominee’s phone number(Required)

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Section Break

Name of department/office/program/team(Required)

Group contact name(Required)

First Last

Group contact role/position at the University(Required)

Group contact email address(Required)

Group contact phone number(Required)

Are you nominating an individual or an organization?(Required)

Individual

Organization

Name of individual nominee(Required)

First Last

Individual nominee’s role/position at the University(Required)

Individual nominee’s email address(Required)

Individual nominee’s phone number(Required)

Name of organization(Required)

Organization contact name(Required)

First Last

Organization contact position(Required)

Organization contact email address(Required)

Organization contact phone number(Required)

Application Materials

Written submission

Max. file size: 20 MB.

Please provide a written statement to support your nomination. Statements should explain why the nominee deserves the award and describe the nominee's actions, activities, or accomplishments that cultivate a sense of belonging and thriving for all. Statements may be co-signed by multiple community members, or separate statements may be provided as optional supplementary materials. Please limit your statement to 1-2 pages.

Photo of nominee

Max. file size: 20 MB.

Photos will be used in ceremony materials (e.g. ceremony slides, program, etc.) and will not be included in the nomination review process.

Additional supporting materials

Max. file size: 20 MB.

Optional supporting materials might include a resume/CV, reports, press releases, or anything else that demonstrates the nominee’s impact.

Nomination Evaluation Rubric

Inclusive Excellence

What it Assesses

How do the nominee’s actions or accomplishments cultivate a sense of belonging and thriving for all?

Poor (1) Nomination provides minimal information about how the nominee’s actions promote a sense of belonging or align with the description of the award.
Satisfactory (2) Nomination describes how the nominee’s actions have promoted a sense of belonging and align with the description of the award.
Excellent (3) Nomination clearly describes sustained or large-scale efforts by the nominee that exemplify the description of the award, set a high standard of excellence, and ensure that everyone can belong and thrive in our community.

Impact

What it Assesses

To what extent have the nominee’s actions created positive change for our community?

Poor (1) Nomination provides minimal information about the impact of the nominee’s actions.
Satisfactory (2) Nomination describes how the nominee’s actions have positively impacted a specific audience or group.
Excellent (3) Nomination clearly demonstrates the nominee’s significant positive impact on entire communities, teams, organizations, or even the institution as a whole.

Meliora Values

What it Assesses

How does the nominee live out our Meliora values?

Poor (1) Nomination provides little to no detail about the nominee’s commitment to our Meliora values.
Satisfactory (2) Nomination describes the nominee’s commitment to one or more Meliora values.
Excellent (3) Nomination clearly details how the nominee stands out among peers by consistently embodying and modeling our Meliora values.

2025 winners

Anika Simone Johnson, Advocacy and Action Award
Department of Black Studies, Inclusive Workforce Award
Meliora Educational Pathway Program, Changemaker Award
Arleata Robin White, Bridge to Equity Award
Rochester Deaf Kitchen, Social Impact Award
Curtis Johnson ’88, Distinguished Trustee Award
Noah Pizmony-Levy Drezer ’00, Distinguished Alumni Award

Reach out to learn more

If you have questions about these awards or would like more information, we encourage you to reach out to us. We’re here to help!

Contact our office