Student Leadership Awards Directory

Individual Category

Any student that meets the criteria of the award description is eligible to be nominated. Multiple award winners can be chosen per the discretion of the selection committee.

The nominations deadline is Friday, March 1, 2024, at Noon.

TITLE CRITERIA/DESCRIPTION
Spartan Spirit Award This special recognition is given to a student who has gone above and beyond in demonstrating outstanding enthusiasm for ǿմý. This recipient thoroughly exemplifies the true meaning of being a Spartan and embodies school pride through their engagement in and commitment to the campus community.
Patricia B. Kilpatrick Award

Any undergraduate student who made a great impact on campus through their personal character. This can be done through:

  • Building bridges
  • Breaking down barriers
  • Demonstrating Spartan spirit
  • Having genuine pride for attending ǿմý
Outstanding Freshman

Any first-year student who has demonstrated any of the following is eligible for consideration:

  • A desire to learn more about leadership and being a leader at ǿմý
  • Demonstrated personal growth
  • Shows initiative, motivation, and potential for continued student leadership
  • Helps others to achieve their potential
Outstanding Sophomore

Any second-year student who has demonstrated any of the following is eligible for consideration:

  • Establishes personal or professional goals and has begun to achieve those goals through their involvement
  • Quality, scope, and level of involvement exceed the average sophomore student
  • Helping others to achieve their potential
Outstanding Junior

Any third-year student who has demonstrated any of the following is eligible for consideration:

  • Established personal and professional goals and continue to achieve those goals and develop as a student leader through their involvement
  • Quality, scope, and level of involvement exceed the average junior student
  • Demonstrates a desire to build bridges and sustainable partnerships within our campus community
  • Helping others to achieve their potential
Outstanding Senior

Any graduating senior who has demonstrated any of the following is eligible for consideration:

  • Achieves personal and professional goals and growth through skill-building and leadership development
  • Quality, scope, and level of involvement exceed the average senior student
  • Demonstrates a desire to build bridges and sustainable partnerships within our campus community or the greater Cleveland community
  • Helping others to achieve their potential through mentoring and facilitating the development of rising leaders
Outstanding Community Service Award

Any undergraduate or graduate student who has demonstrated the following is eligible for consideration:

  • Demonstrates a sustained commitment to service that contributes to meeting the needs of others.
  • Serves in partnership with one or more community organizations to create a positive impact through service.
Outstanding Club/Organization Member

Any undergraduate student in a university-recognized student organization who meets the following criteria is eligible for consideration:

  • Must hold a non-elected position within the organization
  • Has a positive attitude and motivation to drive the mission of the organization
  • Completes tasks and duties to a high level of quality
  • Positively influences the organization
Outstanding Club/Organization Officer

Any undergraduate student in a university-recognized student organization who meets the following criteria is eligible for consideration:

  • Serves in an executive role within the organization
  • Goes above and beyond responsibilities to consistently improve their organization
  • Works to create programs, policies, or services to make our campus community better
  • Encourages others in the organization and helps members to achieve their personal goals and potential
  • Creates partnerships and builds bridges to maintain sustainable growth on or off campus
President's Award

Any graduating senior who demonstrates the following is eligible for consideration:

  • A commitment to bettering our campus community throughout their entire undergraduate experience
  • Has made sacrifices for the sake of benefiting their organization, the growth of others, and the University
  • Built strong partnerships and has made meaningful connections within the University or Cleveland community
  • Demonstrated personal growth and leadership development throughout their entire undergraduate experience.
The Glenn Nicholls Award for Ethical Leadership This award is given to an undergraduate and graduate student who has actively demonstrated strong ethical leadership. They guide others through challenging dilemmas; demonstrate values that are transparent through their actions and have often taken the often unpopular stance in areas of leadership. This leader often is able to demonstrate right and wrong concepts with clarity.
Outstanding Supplemental Instruction Leader

Any student who has served as a Supplemental Instruction (SI) leader in Fall 2022 or Spring 2023 and has demonstrated the following is eligible for consideration:

  • Served as a Supplemental Instruction (SI) leader during the Fall 2022 or Spring 2023 semester
  • Made a significant contribution to student understanding of course material
  • Developed and demonstrated superb leadership and professional skills
  • Showed sincere care and concern for the academic success of SI participants
Outstanding Graduate Student Organization Officer

Any graduate student in a recognized student organization who meets the following criteria is eligible for consideration:

  • Serves in an executive role within the organization
  • Goes above and beyond responsibilities to consistently improve their organization
  • Works to create programs, policies, or services to make our campus community better
  • Encourages others in the organization and helps members to achieve their personal goals and potential
  • Creates partnerships and builds bridges to maintain sustainable growth on or off campus
Outstanding Graduate Student Organization Member

Any graduate student in a recognized student organization who meets the following criteria is eligible for consideration:

  • Must hold a non-elected position within the organization
  • Has a positive attitude and motivation to drive the mission of the organization
  • Completes tasks and duties to a high level of quality
  • Positively influences the organization
Outstanding Faculty Award for Student Development This award is given to a faculty member who has made a significant contribution to undergraduate and graduate student life outside of their teaching and research responsibilities.
The G. Dean Patterson, Jr. “People Are Most Important Award”

 

Nominated by students, this award is given to a staff, faculty, or alumnus of ǿմý who has consistently made others feel that they are so important.  The nominee should make students feel valued, affirms the student's sense of belonging, and treats students with respect. Student nominators should have known their nominee for at least one year. 

Outstanding Student Organization Advisor Award This award is given to a staff or faculty member who serves as an advisor to a student organization on campus. This distinction honors advisors that go above and beyond in supporting student organizations on campus.
 
Group & Program Category

Any student organization, student organization member, or individual who hosted a program or series that meets the listed criteria is ELIGIBLE to be nominated.

TITLE CRITERIA/DESCRIPTION
Dignity of Difference Award The Dignity of Difference Award recognizes undergraduate and graduate student organizations and/or programs for efforts that have embodied the institutional core values of diversity and inclusion and enhanced the campus climate related to race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, culture, disabilities, and wellness.

Criteria

  • enhanced human dignity and an understanding of multicultural populations in the ǿմý and surrounding communities
  • encouraged relationships and interactions among people of different backgrounds
  • heightened sensitivity of participants
  • diminished prejudice and discrimination
Dorothy Pijan Outstanding
New Student Event or Program Series
Open to any student or student organization that has:
  • Developed and implemented a new outstanding and innovative program that is two years or less old. The nomination should be for the program that occurred between February 2022 and February 2023.
  • Met or exceeded the goal and mission of the new event/program series
  • Contributed to the quality of life at ǿմý
Dorothy Pijan Outstanding
Established Student Event or Program Series

Open to any student or student organization that has:

  • Demonstrated the enhancement of an established event or program series through:
    • building new partnerships
    • reaching new audiences
    • positive innovation
  • Demonstrated performance of meeting the goal and mission of the program that went above and beyond previous years
Group Community Service Award

Presented to any student organization that demonstrates the following:

  • Demonstrates a sustained commitment to service that contributes to meeting the needs of others.
  • Serves in partnership with one or more community organizations to create a positive impact through service.
Outstanding Student Organization of the Year

Presented to any University recognized undergraduate student organization that has demonstrated excellence this year in furthering their mission through:

  • Excellence in Programming
  • Advocacy for a cause of concern
  • Service to the campus or community
  • Leadership development of members
  • Relationship building and promoting collaboration
  • Organization's work has improved student life and has increased the quality of our campus community
Outstanding New Student Organization of the Year Presented to any University recognized undergraduate student organization that:
  • Was established between February 2021 and February 2023
  • Demonstrated excellence in establishing and striving to achieve goals and the mission of their organization
  • Contributed to the growth and promise toward improving the quality of life on campus
Outstanding Graduate Student Organization of the Year

Presented to any University recognized graduate student organization that:

  • Excellence in programming
  • Advocacy for a cause of concern
  • Service to the campus or community
  • Leadership development of members
  • Relationship building and promoting collaboration
  • Organization's work has improved student life and has increased the quality of our campus community
Spartan Spirit Organization Award
This special recognition is given to an undergraduate or graduate student organization that has gone above and beyond in demonstrating outstanding enthusiasm for ǿմý. 

Student Leadership Awards Ceremony: April 25, 2024.

Check out our list of current and previous award recipients.