Excellence Awards
Recognition of Excellence
Student Excellence in Access & Belonging Award
This award recognizes a student who has demonstrated outstanding dedication to fostering a welcoming, inclusive and supportive campus community through:
- Developing or leading initiatives to enhance access and inclusion within the university.
- Mentoring or advising peers, particularly those from vulnerable populations, to support their academic and personal success.
- Promoting cross-cultural understanding and engagement among students.
- Advocating for policies and programs to improve all student experience.
- Contributing to research, service, or initiatives increasing areas of access and inclusion.
Excellence in Campus Impact Award
This award honors a faculty, staff member, or department who has significantly contributed to advancing access, belonging, and institutional excellence by:
- Creating and implementing programs to improve access, retention, and success for students, faculty, and staff from vulnerable populations.
- Providing mentorship and professional development opportunities for students, junior faculty, and staff from various backgrounds.
- Integrating principles of access, accommodation, inclusion and belonging into curriculum, teaching, and campus initiatives.
- Supporting research, service, and scholarship in the areas of access, accommodation, inclusion and belonging.
- Developing and sustaining partnerships which enhance institutional efforts toward a more inclusive environment for all.
Community Leadership in Excellence Award
This award celebrates an internal or external partner, organization, or community leader who has made a meaningful impact on access and inclusion through:
- Establishing partnerships with the university to expand opportunities for vulnerable populations
- Implementing initiatives which foster multicultural understanding and cross-cultural competence.
- Supporting research, service, or programs which promote access, accommodation, inclusion and belonging.
- Providing mentorship, resources, or professional development opportunities for various students, faculty, and staff.
- Enhancing community engagement efforts which align with the institution’s mission of access and inclusion to enhance intellectual growth and enrich lives.
Nomination
Utilizing one or more of the above-listed criteria, submit a letter of nomination which addresses how the nominee has demonstrated a significant commitment to enhancing access, accommodation, inclusion and belonging at Arkansas State University and beyond. Additionally, the nomination letter should describe creative models, strategies or best practices used to enhance the institutions mission through access, accommodation, inclusion and belonging.
Contents of Nomination Packet:
Cover sheet
All nominations must include a cover sheet with the following information:
Name of Nominee
- Title
- College/Dept/Office/Major
- Campus Address
- Work Phone Number
- Email Address
- If Applicable:
- Years at A-State
- Years in current dept/office
Name of Nominator
- Title
- College/Dept/Office/Major
- Campus Address
- Work Phone Number
- Email Address
- Working Relationship to Nominee
Award Nominations
Nomination Letter
Letter of nomination from the nominator describing in detail why the nominee is deserving
of the award (maximum of 1 page).
Letters of Support
Letters of support (not more than three total) from faculty, graduate or undergraduate
students, classified or non-classified staff, administrators, alumni or community
members who work extensively with the nominee.
Description
Provide a brief description of the activities within the academic calendar year which
illustrates the outstanding efforts by the nominee to reflect the essence of the award
they are being nominated for (three-page limit).
Deadlines
The nomination and/or application materials are to be submitted to the Division of
Access and Institutional Engagement, P.O. Box 66, State University, AR 72467 by March 4, 2026
The 2025 - 2026 Excellence Awards program will be held on April 16, 2026