CALL FOR NOMINATIONS - THE VICE CHANCELLOR'S DISTINGUISHED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AWARD 2020

2019 VC Distinguished Community Engagement Award Winners
2019 VC Distinguished Community Engagement Award Winners

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR THE VICE CHANCELLORS DISTINGUISHED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AWARD 2020

PURPOSE

Rhodes University has become a leading engaged university with a number of internationally renowned engaged research programs and meaningful community engaged learning partnerships. The Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Community Engagement Award is a prestigious and competitive annual award which recognises meaningful and committed  partnerships between the members of the university and community partners in the areas of  teaching, learning and research, where human and material resources of the University have been  combined with assets found in local communities  in order to  contribute to sustainable human and community development.

ELIGIBILITY AND NOMINATIONS

All academic staff members who have initiated or facilitated a community engagement initiative/project/activity may be nominated for this award.  Staff members may nominate an individual candidate or a group.  Staff members may also apply in their own capacity to be considered for the award. Nominations and applications must be accompanied by: 

i)       details of the history, aims, scope, methodology, process followed, outcomes of the community engagement initiative and the nature of the relationship with community partners

ii)     a letter of commendation/reference from community partner(s)

iii)    the names of two community referees and the names of two university referees

The Vice-Chancellor’s Community Engagement Award Committee will consider:

i) the developmental and reciprocal nature of the initiative/project/activity

ii) understanding of context

iii) the way in which the initiative/project/activity started, community partner involvement and participation

iv) the nature of the relationship with the community/community partner(s)

v) the benefits to the university/staff, students  and the community partner(s) involved:

  • the extent to which the project promotes the social responsibility role of the university
  • the extent to which the project enhances or inculcates social responsibility in students
  • the extent to which the project contributes to organizational and\or community development

vi) the way the initiative/project/activity enhances teaching/learning  or research processes

vii) the contribution to the scholarship of engagement e.g. any relevant academics papers etc

viii) the extent to which sustainability is considered in the community engagement activity

The Committee will invite referees to comment on, inter alia, whether the initiative/project/activity is exceptional and worthy; whether the initiative/project/activity is recognised as being one of the most outstanding at the university and whether it has contributed to the scholarship of engagement.

For Service Learning Community Engagement Programmes, the Committee will judge:

i) that the  structure is according to sound educational principles, supplements and complements the theoretical components of the curriculum (learning outcomes for students)

ii) the nature and quality of supervision

iii) the nature and quality of training for the programme/project

iv) nature and quality of assessment of the programme/project

iv) the extent to which the community partner(s) were included in the processes, reflection on the programme, contributed to student learning/development and were able to meet their organisational/group goals through the project/programme

v) the extent to which the programme\project enhanced\inculcated social responsibility in students

VALUE OF THE AWARD

Awaiting confirmation.

CLOSING DATE

Closing date for nominations and applications to reach the office of the Director, Community Engagement by  31 October 2020 (d.hornby@ru.ac.za).