Excellence in Leadership Award Descriptions

• The Bridge Builder Award (Individual)

  This service award recognizes a student who has succeeded in strengthening the relationship between Wesleyan and the greater Middletown community.
  Criteria:

  • Initiative taken to creatively address a community issue or concern that pertains to the relationship between Wesleyan and Middletown.
  • Consistent and sustained efforts in the arena of community service.
  • Implementation of a sustainable framework to address a community issue or concern.Recruitment and retention of volunteers.
  • Engagement of members of both the Wesleyan and Middletown communities.
• The Bridge Builder Award (Organization)
  This service award recognizes a student group that has succeeded in strengthening the relationship between Wesleyan and the greater Middletown community. 
  Criteria:
  

  • Initiative taken to creatively address a community issue or concern that pertains to the relationship between Wesleyan and Middletown.
  • Consistent and sustained efforts in the arena of community service by the group as a whole. 
  • Implementation of a sustainable framework to address a community issue or concern.
  • Truly collaborative effort among the members of the student group, with a clear distribution and sharing of responsibilities.
  • Engagement of members of both the Wesleyan and Middletown communities.
• Cardinal Crest Award
  This award is presented to a member of the Wesleyan Student Assembly who has demonstrated sustained commitment to leadership in the WSA and to representing the interests of the student body.
  Criteria:
  

  • Demonstrated commitment to the WSA position: exhibiting individual leadership while maintaining a cooperative group mentality.
  • Demonstrated outreach to subsections of the campus community and to soliciting feedback from their constituents.
  • Demonstrated commitment to the Wesleyan student community, student interests, and campus issues.
  • Demonstrated commitment to working with the Wesleyan faculty and/or administration to address campus issues.
  • Reliability as a WSA member (i.e. consistent attendance and participation in assembly meetings).
  • Nomination should include a letter of recommendation from a WSA member who has first-hand knowledge of the nominee's contribution. Details of involvement in the WSA, any project(s) he/ she/ ze has been involved in and its impact and any reflective insights.
• Exceptional Program of the Year Award
  This award recognizes an exceptional program, cultural event, or production that has succeeded in translating the collaborative efforts of a group of students to have a campus-wide impact.
  Criteria:

  • Represents a truly collaborative effort by a student group or groups, with clearly distributed responsibilities.
  • Outreach by a student group or groups to recruit a diverse range of collaborators and sponsors.
  • The program is either original or creatively re-designs a past or recurring program/event/production.
  • Demonstrated success in identifying and focusing on the intersection of common concerns/issues/causes/identities on campus, and thereby appealing to and impacting a wide range of people
• Exceptional Student Employee of the Year Award

  The Exceptional Student Employee of the Year award recognizes a student who has demonstrated exceptional dedication and made significant impacts within the Wesleyan and/or Middletown community through their on-campus employment. This award celebrates excellence in contributing to the community, effective collaboration, exemplary work ethic, and outstanding performance in their roles. This award is sponsored by the Gordon Career Center. Criteria:
  

  • Contributed meaningfully to the campus community (department, work team, peers, etc.) and/or local Middletown community.
  • Collaborated effectively with others and cultivated positive relationships with supervisors and team members.
  • Demonstrated a strong work-ethic, reliability, integrity, and initiative.
  • Consistently performed job duties at a high-level, showcasing problem-solving skills, equitable interactions, and a positive attitude.
• First Year Student Leadership Award

  This award is presented to a student who has demonstrated outstanding leadership or involvement in the Wesleyan community
  Criteria:

  • Demonstrated active involvement in extra-curricular activities during their first year on campus
  • Made concerted efforts to network with, and learn about, various faculty, staff, and administrative offices at Wesleyan
  • Demonstrated leadership abilities and/or actively engaged with the Wesleyan or greater Middletown communities
  • Demonstrated ability to maintain balance between extra-curricular activities and academics.
• Graduate Student of the Year Award

  This award recognizes a graduate student who has proven to be a vital and dynamic member of the Wesleyan community through taking on an active leadership role in campus life.   
  Criteria:

  • Consistent and sustained dedication to community building.   
  • Measurable impact of efforts (i.e. initiating and/or leading a campus event or program).
  • Engagement of other members of the Wesleyan community in his/her/hir efforts. 
  • Serving as a model of, as well as inspiring, energy and enthusiasm in others.
• Mosaic Award

  This award recognizes the contribution(s) of a student organization that has raised campus awareness through educational initiatives on issues of identity, culture and social justice.
  Criteria:

  • The organization has planned programs or educational initiatives that enhance sensitivity to issues of race, ethnicity, culture, ability/disability, faith, sex, gender identity or expression and/or sexual orientation or another aspect of identity.
  • The organization has planned programs that have been open to the entire campus community.
  • The organization has sought to include in it's membership, members of differing identity groups and/or to collaborate with other groups on campus.
  • The organization has demonstrated the longer term sustainability or impact of their initiatives.
• Outstanding Collaboration Award

  The Collaboration award is presented for a program which was successfully planned in the spirit of partnership and teamwork.
  Criteria:

  • Sponsored by two or more student organizations
  • Demonstrated outreach to a diverse group of collaborators
  • Demonstrated balance of planning responsibility by all of the sponsors
  • Multiple funding sources were used for the program
  • Demonstrated impact on the larger campus community
• Senior Legacy Award

  This award is presented to a graduating senior who has consistently demonstrated outstanding leadership throughout their entire career at Wesleyan University.
  Criteria:

  • Demonstrated sustained leadership or active involvement throughout their enrollment at Wesleyan
  • Demonstrated dedication to organizing community building events and activities on campus
  • Proactively worked to create change in the Wesleyan and/or greater Middletown   communities
  • Demonstrated ability to recruit and motivate others
  • Demonstrated ability to build relationships with and show respect for other community members
• The Social Activist Award

  This award recognizes an individual that best exemplifies the spirit of social activism and social change through programmatic and community building efforts in either the Wesleyan or Middletown communities.
  Criteria:

  • Demonstrated creativity and innovation in program planning
  • Demonstrated effort to collaborate with a diverse range of organizations, departments, and individuals
  • Measurable impact of social change within the Wesleyan or Middletown community
  • Demonstrated sustainability of program or initiative 
• Student Organization of the Year Award

  This award recognizes a student organization that has excelled in sustaining leadership, an active membership and programmatic efforts that contribute to the larger Wesleyan Community.
  Criteria:

  • Demonstrated active membership over the course of the academic year
  • Demonstrated growth of membership and/or presence on campus
  • Preference is given to organizations who can also demonstrate collaboration with other organizations and/or departments
  • Demonstrated efforts to sustain the organization over time.