The Office of Disability Resources at Longwood University is sponsoring the first annual Inclusive Excellence Award. The award will highlight one university faculty member and one university staff member who have each made a significant contribution to the campus regarding inclusive design and practice in the past year. This includes ensuring any off-campus trips are open to every student on campus.
One of the reasons the office decided to publicize the award was so students could recognize faculty and staff members who made a positive impact on their lives or on the lives of someone they know.
Cameron Patterson, program coordinator for the Office of Disability Resources, said they are looking for candidates who have really made a difference on campus.
Patterson said, "We're looking for faculty and staff who actively promote inclusiveness amongst the students. We are actively seeking folks who have modified their curriculum to make it more inclusive. It really can be a wide range of things."
While the award only goes to one faculty and one staff member, the nomination process allows students to nominate a number of people who have been making a substantial difference at Longwood.
The award also calls for accessibility statements on publicity and marketing items as well as ensuring course material is readily available to students no matter their level of ability.
"I always think it's a great thing to let faculty and staff members know the efforts they are making are not going unnoticed," said Patterson. "What they are doing inside and outside of the classroom is appreciated by students here and our office as well. We really want to recognize that."
Patterson said the award keeps everyone motivated to continue making that positive change that is needed on campus.
The deadline for students to nominate faculty and staff members has been extended until this Friday, April 6. Faculty members have until Wednesday, April 11 to submit their additional information if nominated. The committee will then meet to select the award recipients. Final decisions will be made by the end of the week of April 16-20.
Once the nomination process is complete, the Office of Disability Resources will review the nominations and contact those nominated for further information. The winners will be announced at the Multicultural Student Award Banquet, which will wrap up the People First Campaign events for April the office is promoting.
Nomination forms can be found attached to a March 22 email from Dr. Tim Pierson, vice president for student affairs, and can be sent directly to disabilityresources@ longwood.edu.
