The Provost’s Award for Excellence in Outreach and Engagement is given to honor instructional and administrative faculty members who have made a sustained commitment to working with the community in developing mutually beneficial and reciprocal partnerships. This award recognizes the scope and impact of the partnership and its impact on both the university and the community.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has acknowledged James Madison University’s community engagement efforts to receive its community engagement reclassification for 2020. This honor recognizes “the collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities ... for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.” JMU joins 358 other institutions across the country in the selection process. 

Nominations for this award will be accepted from instructional and administrative faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members. Self-nominations will not be accepted. 

Nominations should address the following criteria:

• To what extent does the nominee show a sustained commitment to developing mutually beneficial and reciprocal community partnerships?

• How were university and community needs/goals identified? Outcomes met? Provide evidence of sustained impact on the university and the community partners.

• To what extent does the partnership engage the community, deepen students’ engaged learning, and enrich the scholarship of the institution?

The following information should be included in the nomination:

• Nomination letter signed by department leadership
• Personal statement from nominee
• Samples of work, awards, acknowledgements, etc.

Important Dates

• Nominations are submitted to Nora Sutton by Wednesday, January 31, 2024.
• Award winners will be honored at the Academic Affairs Awards Recognition Luncheon on April 25, 2024, and receive a $1,000 honorarium.