The St. Olaf College Social Justice Award
In alignment with St. Olaf College’s efforts toward diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism, the Faculty Life Committee announces its call for nominations for the annual Social Justice Award. This award recognizes the hard work of faculty members in bringing needed change to the College and demonstrates St. Olaf’s commitment to developing a more inclusive environment that will better foster a sense of belonging in our campus community. The Faculty Life Committee wishes to thank the College and the Provost’s Office for funding this award.
The award could recognize the work of a faculty member or a group of faculty in various campus settings:
- demonstrating the importance of social justice in the classroom and stimulating conversation or action as a result.
- nurturing a spirit of social justice through advising, mentoring, coaching, or other roles outside of the classroom.
- contributing to needed institutional change.
The $5,000 award has two components:
- A $1,000 honorarium for the Social Justice Award recipient(s) to deliver an address to the College illuminating a social justice topic chosen by the recipient(s), which includes the connection between social justice and their own work or field(s).
- $4,000 for the recipient(s) to fund a social justice project, developed within the following academic year, in consultation with the Faculty Life Committee. The Social Justice Award recipient(s) could use these funds to:
- develop an original social justice project (e.g., conduct research, sponsor an event or celebration, bring in guest speakers, etc.)
- fund an already-existing St. Olaf social justice effort (e.g., a social justice program, project, or organization, including student organizations).
The nomination and selection process involves the following steps:
- Faculty, staff, and students submit nominations via an online form, which will be distributed via email and a QR code posted around campus. Self nominations are also welcome. Nominees may be individual faculty members or faculty groups. The nomination deadline is noon on the second Tuesday of November.
- We welcome nominations from individuals, or joint nominations collaboratively written by multiple people.
- You may nominate a single faculty member or a group of faculty.
- Self-nominations are welcome.
- Nominees will be contacted with a request for additional information.
- The Faculty Life Committee will choose an award recipient by the end of fall semester. A selection committee will review nominations and select a list of finalists to present to the Faculty Life Committee. The selection committee will include five members: three faculty members drawn from the Faculty Life Committee, one staff member, and one student. The staff member and student will be selected in consultation with the Director of the Taylor Center. The Faculty Life Committee will then select an awardee and an alternate after reading the finalist nominations and hearing the advice of the selection committee. If the awardee(s) prefer or need to decline the award (parts 1 and 2, conjointly), the award will be offered to the alternate(s).
The Faculty Life Committee will organize a spring event to honor the Social Justice Award recipient(s), whose address will be delivered at that time.
*The Social Justice Award was instituted with the idea that it might be named after a past or current St. Olaf College leader or faculty member whose social justice service has been transformative for the College. The Faculty Life Committee welcomes suggestions on naming the award using the Faculty Comment Form.