Eligibility – Nominee has been employed at Virginia Commonwealth University for at least 20 years.

Criteria – This award is presented to an individual who, above all else, exemplifies loyalty to Virginia Commonwealth University. This person has supported and represented VCU in all they have done during their long-standing career. Further, this person has served the College of Humanities and Sciences as a prominent and impressive professional, setting the standard by which their peers and successors will be measured. A successful nominee exhibits unflagging dedication to the university and to the College of Humanities and Sciences, as well as a meritorious career of celebrated professionalism and support for which other members of their unit express great and deep gratitude.

Award recipients

• 2018 – Patsy Connors, College of Humanities Sciences
• 2017 – Stephanie Millican, Department of Biology

Eligibility – Nominee is responsible for general administrative support, office management, technology administration or reception for one or more persons/units.

Criteria – This award is presented to an individual who has cultivated a reputation as the go-to person for general and miscellaneous administrative matters by displaying expert knowledge of various policies and guidelines, enthusiastically assisting those in need and holding themselves to high standards in all they do. This person may coordinate a variety of operations, manage extremely busy schedules or expertly accomplish myriad miscellaneous responsibilities, all with outstanding time management and attention to detail. A successful nominee exhibits dependability, excellent multitasking ability, a consistent “can-do” attitude and maturity under stress.

Award recipients

• 2024 – Ellie Meyer, Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics
• 2023 – Monique Morton, Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences
• 2021 – Jo Murphy, Department of Forensic Science
• 2020 – Pamela Williams, Robertson School
• 2019 – Janet Cousins, College of Humanities Sciences, and Will Moran, Department of Biology

Eligibility – Nominee is responsible for the management of the budget, coordination of fiscal operations, management of travel and reimbursements and/or execution of purchasing for one or more units.

Criteria – This award is presented to an individual who demonstrates extraordinary efficiency, skill and knowledge in carrying out fiscal operations and adhering to fiscal policy. This person communicates openly and thoroughly with members of their unit(s) regarding concerns of budget, fiscal policy and/or purchasing. This person is also unyieldingly ethical and is implicitly trusted with the financial wellbeing of their unit(s). A successful nominee exhibits outstanding communication skills, efficient and effective productivity, superior ethical decision-making skills and confidence in their work.

Award recipients

• 2024 – Edith Allen
• 2023 – Barbara Payne, Department of Forensic Science
• 2020 – Stephanie Hart, Department of Psychology
• 2019 – Virginia Casanova, School of World Studies

Eligibility – Nominee is responsible for personnel administration, employee relations, employee dispute mediation, payroll administration or another function of human resource management for one or more units.

Criteria – This award is presented to one individual who regularly exceeds expectations regarding human resource management such that their unit or units run smoothly and without notable incident from an HR perspective. This person is self-motivated to solve problems as they arise, possesses a deep and thorough understanding of relevant HR policy, is an effective communicator with other HR stakeholders in the university and handles complicated HR matters in a superlative way. A successful nominee exhibits a highly approachable personality, creative problem-solving skills, empathy towards others and a consistently thoughtful approach to difficult situations.

Award recipients

• 2024 – Amanda O’Connor, Dean's Office
• 2019 – Alcinda Finefrock, Department of Political Science

Eligibility – Nominee is responsible for providing academic advising to students enrolled in a social science or humanities major, minor or certificate program as defined by CHS Office of Student Services.

Criteria – This award is presented to an individual who provides distinguished academic support to students, serves as an exemplary resource on academic matters and makes the success of their students a top priority. This person enthusiastically explores best practices in advising, manages their caseload (or equivalent) in a highly organized manner and fosters both academic and professional success in their students. A successful nominee exhibits trustworthiness, a focus on the success and wellbeing of their students, a strong sense of responsibility and exceptional organizational skills.

Award recipients

• 2024 – Melissa Siebert, Department of African American Studies
• 2023 – Maggie McDearmon, Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture
• 2021 – LaToya Davis, Department of Psychology
• 2020 – Roy Roach, Robertson School
• 2019 – Natasha Long, Robertson School

The purpose of this award is to honor individuals or groups of VCU administrators, faculty, staff or students who exemplify the importance and commitment to inclusion, diversity and equity. Group is defined as a VCU affiliated unit, organization or team of faculty, administrators or staff, undergraduate or graduate student(s) or any interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary collaboration. Groups and individuals may also submit self-nominations.

Nominees should exemplify or support inclusion, diversity and equity initiatives in the College by one or more of the following means:

• Develop and maintain a shared and inclusive understanding of diversity, multiculturalism, institutional bias and affirmative action through training and education in the College
• Actively work to identify and/or dismantle institutional bias or promote inclusion in the College
• Create a welcoming and inclusive climate through facilitation or creation of related initiatives, curriculum reform, research incentives, community-outreach, cross-campus and/or departmental initiatives
• Actively work to recruit, retain and support a diverse student body and/or workforce at all levels
• Actively work to enhance curricular, co-curricular, research, service, artistic or study abroad activities to engage the university community in affirming an inclusive, diverse and multicultural learning environment
• Develop and maintain consistent accountability measures to accurately assess progress toward institutionalizing diversity and multiculturalism

The IDEC awards are divided along the following four categories: (Groups and individuals may also submit self-nominations.)

1. Leadership in Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (LSIDE) Staff and Administrator Award
2. Rising Star in Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (RSIDE) Student Award
3. Trailblazer in Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (TBIDE) Faculty Award
4. Collaborative Work in Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (CWIDE) Group Award

Nominations should include a brief narrative, no more than one page in length, that address specific examples of how the individual or group demonstrates any of the aforementioned goals. The nomination may include letters of support, articles of support and other documents that support the nomination.

Previous Recipients

LSIDE

• 2024 – Lucy Hudson, Department of Psychology
• 2020 – Geron Scott, Department of Biology

RSIDE

• 2020 – Amanda Parks, Department of Psychology (graduate)
• 2020 – Rebecca Alema, Department of Biology (undergraduate)

TBIDE

• 2024 – Kim Case, Department of Psychology
• 2024 – Mychal Smith, Department of Chemistry
• 2023 – Anita Nadal, School of World Studies
• 2021 – Christopher Brooks, School of World Studies
• 2020 – Clarence Thomas, Robertson School

CWIDE

• 2023 – Kinesiology and Health Sciences, Diversity and Inclusion Committee
• 2021 – Committee for Racial Equity Student Advisory Group
• 2020 – Committee for the Promotion of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Psychology

Eligibility – Nominee is responsible for support of two or more units in the College of Humanities and Sciences. This support may not necessarily be equally distributed amongst the units, and may not be the same kind of support for each unit.

Criteria – This award is presented to an individual who provides outstanding support to more than one unit in the College of Humanities and Sciences either due to the service-oriented unit for which they work, or due to additional/special assignments which necessitate such support. This person is welcoming of new challenges, creative in their pursuit of excellent service and an enthusiastic team player. A successful nominee exhibits consistency in their work, an open mind, exceptional communication skills and exceptional problem-solving skills.

Award recipients

• 2023 – Alexis Finc, Dean's Office
• 2021 – Jen Elswick, College of Humanities and Sciences
• 2020 – John Hutton, College of Humanities and Sciences
• 2019 – Regina Coles, College of Humanities and Sciences

Eligibility – Nominee is responsible for grant administration, research administration, lab scheduling, teaching lab administration or lab safety management, including computer labs.

Criteria – This award is presented to one individual who provides the highest level of knowledgeable support to the research, teaching or space management of their unit’s lab spaces. These efforts may include but are not limited to pre-grant administration, grant continuation and renewal, post-grant administration, providing RAMS guidance, supervising lab volunteers and employees, supervising lab procedures and protocols, managing safety compliance, managing lab schedules and overseeing all service requests related to such spaces. A successful nominee exhibits an excellent rapport with research or teaching personnel, exceptional understanding of applicable policies, high productivity and attention to detail.

Award recipients

• 2023 – Deb Butler, Center for Cultural Experiences in Prevention, Clark-Hill Institute for Positive Youth Development
• 2021 – Anne Greene, Clark-Hill Institute for Positive Youth Development, Department of Psychology
• 2020 – John Arnold, Department of Chemistry
• 2019 – Emily Watkinson, Department of Biology

Eligibility – Nominee is responsible for providing academic advising to students enrolled in a science major, minor or certificate program as defined by CHS Office of Student Services.

Criteria – This award is presented to an individual who provides distinguished academic support to students, serves as an exemplary resource on academic matters and makes the success of their students a top priority. This person enthusiastically explores best practices in advising, manages their caseload (or equivalent) in a highly organized manner and fosters both academic and professional success in their students. A successful nominee exhibits trustworthiness, a focus on the success and wellbeing of their students, a strong sense of responsibility and exceptional organizational skills.

Award recipients

• 2024 – David Lally, Department of Chemistry
• 2023 – Calla Talman, Department of Physics, Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, and SSOR
• 2021 – LaChelle Waller, Department of Chemistry
• 2020 – Alvin Bryant, Department of Biology
• 2019 – Sheila Blair, College of Humanities and Sciences