Menu

Advocacy Award

Nominations open October 6, 2025

Guidelines

I. Award Description 

This award recognizes individuals who demonstrate a commitment to advocating for the retention and holistic success of current UCA students. These individuals have made a significant impact related to the university’s mission, vision, and core values.

II. Number of Awards

The University offers one award annually in this category.

III. Eligibility

Recipients of this award are not eligible to receive the same award again for a minimum of ten (10) years. Nominees who are not recipients of this award may be nominated for it in consecutive years.

IV. Nomination Criteria

Faculty, staff, and administrators are eligible for nomination as follows:

  • Current UCA employees with at least three (3) years of full-time UCA employment

V. Selection Committee

The Office of Student Advocacy and Community (OSAC) team will select a cross-section of the campus community to serve on the Advocacy Award Committee (AAC). The AAC will evaluate nominations for this award. This committee consists of at least five (5) members, selected or elected, as follows, who will serve no more than two (2) years, except the OSAC administrative representative, who serves as ex officio chair:

  • Faculty representative
  • OSAC administrative representative
  • Previous year’s award recipient
  • Staff representative
  • Student representative

VI. Procedures

To expedite and coordinate the award procedure, the OSAC administrator or designee will provide administrative support to verify the nominees’ UCA affiliations and coordinate publicity for award recipients.

A. Soliciting Nominations

The University community will be notified about the award process and nominating procedure (Appendix A). Nominators justify their nominations, but the nomination process should not be so demanding as to discourage nominations. Nominators will send their documentation to the award committee via an online process.

B. Soliciting Portfolios from Nominees

The committee chair will contact nominees and request that they submit portfolios by the designated date, as outlined in Appendix B.

C. Evaluation of Portfolios

The award committee will evaluate portfolios according to the criteria listed in Appendix C. The award committee, subject to approval of the OSAC administrative representative, may modify the requirements in Appendix C. The proceedings of the committee and the choice of recipients will be confidential. The committee will select the award recipient from the nominations. The award committee will submit the name of the recipient and a summary of accomplishments/qualifications to the OSAC administrative representative.

D. Announcement of Award Recipient

The award will be presented at the annual Faculty and Staff Recognition Celebration. The OSAC administrative representative will be responsible for ensuring that the award recipient is suitably recognized.

Appendix A. Nominations

Individuals nominating faculty, staff, and administrators for this award should supply the following information:

  1. Name of nominee
  2. Email address of nominee
  3. Identification of the nominee as faculty, staff, or administrator
  4. Brief statement describing the merits of the nominee
  5. Name of nominator
  6. Email address of the nominator
  7. Identification of nominator as student, faculty, staff, or administrator

Appendix B. Nominee’s Portfolios

The committee chair will notify nominees to request that they submit portfolios in support of their nominations by the due date.

  1. Current vitae or résumé
  2. List of activities advocating for the retention and holistic success of current UCA students in the spirit of the university’s mission, vision, and core values.
  3. Statement summarizing philosophy and commitment advocating for student retention and holistic success. This statement is limited to 2,000 words.
  4. Three (3) letters of reference solicited by the nominee that provide evidence that the nominee’s commitment to student advocacy has made a significant impact on UCA students. The letters include contact information for each of the three references.

Appendix C. Selection Criteria

The committee will evaluate the nominees’ portfolios based on the evidence for retention and holistic success of current UCA students.