Impact Awards
Recognizing Academic Affairs Staff Innovation and Distinction
Purpose
Butler University’s academic staff are committed to growing Butler’s reputation as an innovative and exceptional private liberal arts university. Academic staff provide needed services and resources for students, faculty, and administration which keep the engine of education running. These awards commend academic staff for outstanding service and the betterment of the university in one of three areas:
- Innovation in Student Success (with focus on first-year student impact),
- Innovation in Academic Distinction, and
- Innovation in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Eligibility
Nominees may be individuals or teams.
Open to full- and part-time staff or teams whose work directly contributes to the success of the Academic Affairs division.
Nomination
Any Butler employee may nominate a candidate. Letters of recommendation may come from both faculty and staff. Only one letter of support may come from students.
Submit your nomination and support materials online here by May 31, 2023. Awards to be announced at Fall Academic Workshop in August 2023.
Questions: Contact Jill McKinney at jsmckinn@butler.edu.
Criteria
Staff member demonstrated outstanding achievement in fostering student success, particularly of first-year students. Examples of characteristics or accomplishments might include:
- Exemplary service pursuant to the university’s founding principles of inclusivity, diversity, and equality.
- Provided above-and-beyond support of first-year students.
- Grew opportunities for students to participate in high-impact practices (HIP), such as:
- Recruited new employers for additional internship sites.
- Expanded community partnerships for service-learning or community-learning opportunities.
- Sponsoring or co-sponsoring undergraduate research.
- Facilitate new opportunities for students to engage in global learning.
- Support the development of student ePortfolios.
- Support of collaborative student assignments and projects.
- Improved systems and processes to serve students more efficiently.
This list is intended only as examples for the kinds of activities or evidence that may help identify a strong candidate. It is not exhaustive or finite. The review committee looks forward to nominations that speak to a candidate’s unique contributions.
Criteria
The staff member demonstrated outstanding achievement in fostering academic distinction by partnering with or supporting our Butler faculty. Examples of characteristics or accomplishments might include:
- Assisting with promoting and marketing of new courses and programs.
- Direct classroom impact such as:
- Teaching a course as the subject expert.
- Designing a module or unit for a course as the subject expert.
- Partnering with faculty to be a guest speaker or guest instructor in a course.
- Indirect classroom supports such as:
- Faculty development for students with disabilities.
- Faculty training for hybrid or online teaching and learning.
- Exemplary administrative support of core curriculum.
- Support of faculty research.
- Support of faculty advisors.
- Designing and improving systems and processes to serve faculty, staff, and students efficiently and effectively.
This list is intended only as examples for the kinds of activities or evidence that may help identify a strong candidate. It is not exhaustive or finite. The review committee looks forward to nominations that speak to a candidate’s unique contributions.
The staff member demonstrated outstanding achievement in fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Examples of characteristics or accomplishments might include:
- Advanced Butler’s sustainability efforts.
- Started a new program to introduce students to different worldviews.
- Influenced policies and procedures that support students, faculty, and staff with disabilities.
- Mentoring students, faculty, or staff from underrepresented backgrounds to support personal and professional success.
- Standing up to racism and social injustices.
- Promote and support religious diversity.
- Developing a program or project for addressing bias.
- Creating a sense of belonging on campus for all students, including those who are non-residential.
- Authentic ways of shifting the culture toward becoming more just and equitable.
- Greater transition and integration for students, faculty, and staff from underrepresented backgrounds.
- Culturally relevant leadership development.
- Dialogue across difference and ensuring access and reach of campus resources and programming for all students.
- Professional development to support intercultural competence.
- Visibility, both internally and externally, for Butler’s commitment to DEI.
This list is intended only as examples for the kinds of activities or evidence that may help identify a strong candidate. It is not exhaustive or finite. The review committee looks forward to nominations that speak to a candidate’s unique contributions.