College
Awards

College Award Criteria &
College Award Recipients

University
Awards

2026 University Award
Recipients 

Process of Nominations

1. During the College Awards cycle, faculty and staff will receive an email from the College Advisory and Communication Committee (CACC) about the process and timeline of the award cycle.  This will include a nomination form.
   • Nominations can come from faculty, staff, students, or an academic unit.  Nominees may also self-nominate.
   • Nominators will need to carefully read the descriptions and criteria of each Award before nominating their colleagues. 
   • Along with a completed nomination form, the nominator will be asked to submit a statement as to how the nominee meets each criterion.
   • Past award recipients cannot receive the same award within five years.
2. After the nomination is submitted to CACC, the nominee will receive an email to accept or deny the nomination for the Award and be given the opportunity to include their own brief statement.
3. After the nomination cycle is over, the CACC will meet to process and discuss the nominations and select the recipients of the Awards based on the nominees that best fit each category's criteria. Award recipients will be notified on Thursday, March 27, 2025.
4. Recipients of each College Award will be awarded their plaque at the Winter College of Education and Community Innovation Meeting.

Awards Nomination Form

Award Categories

Administrative Professional Commendation
CECI Collaboration Award
Community Engagement Initiative Award
Internationalization Award
Leadership Award
Outstanding Adjunct Award
Outstanding Contribution to a Discipline
Outstanding Instructor Award
Outstanding Mentor to Colleagues Award
Outstanding Mentor to Students Award
Outstanding Service by Faculty Award
Outstanding Service by Staff Award
Outstanding Teacher Award
Professional Support Staff Commendation

Administrative Professional Commendation

2026- Alex Jacobsson

CECI Collaboration Awards

2026- Mary Bair

           B.K. Choi

Community Engagement Initiative Award

2026- Tonisha Jones

Process of Nominations

1. During the University Awards cycle, faculty and staff will receive an email from the College Advisory and Communication Committee (CACC) about the process and timeline of the award cycle. This will include a nomination form.
2. Unit heads or their designee will determine the process for University awards nominations within their department.
3. Nominees will be selected.
4. Nominees will be notified by of the unit’s desire to nominate them.
5. The unit head or their designee will forward all the names and awards of the individuals who have accepted their nominations.to Shawn Evans in the Dean's Office. Please read the guidelines and requirements for each award you are submitting for very carefully to ensure accuracy.
6. The unit head or their designee will work with nominees to submit the completed nomination packets to Shawn Evans by October 24th, 2023, as a single, combined .pdf file.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions about the nomination process for university awards

Award Categories

Glenn A. Niemeyer Award
University Outstanding Teacher Award
Distinguished Contribution in a Discipline Award 
Outstanding University Service Award
Outstanding Community Service Award 
Outstanding Academic Advising & Student Services Award
Internationalization Award
Pew Awards for Excellence
CSCE Awards for Scholarly and Creative Excellence
Other Awards

CSCE Faculty Awards

Distinguished Contribution in a Discipline Award
Distinguished Early-Career Scholar Award
Distinguished Graduate Mentoring Award
Distinguished Undergraduate Mentoring Award

Pew Awards for Excellence

Pew Teaching Excellence Award
Pew Teaching with Technology Award
Pew Excellence Award for Library Faculty
Pew Teaching Excellence Award for Part-time Faculty
Pew Excellence Award for Teaching and Learning Enrichment
Burch, Jacobs, and Moore Diversity Teaching Excellence

University Faculty Awards

Glenn A. Niemeyer Faculty Award
Glenn A. Niemeyer Student Award
Outstanding University Service Award
Outstanding Community Service Award
Outstanding Academic Advising & Student Services Award
Internationalization Award

Links to the above awards can be found on the Provost's website.

Outstanding University Service Award

Karyn Rabourn, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Counseling

Karyn Rabourn has sustained a profound record of dedicated institutional service at GVSU. Her embodiment of the spirit of collaborative leadership, equity and engagement can be seen in her long list of service, which includes positions with the University Academic Senate, the Executive Committee of the Senate, Chair of the Title IX External Investigation Task Force, Chair of the Equity in Personnel Process Task Force, Chair of the College of Education Faculty Development Committee, Co-Chair of the Vice President for Student Affairs Search Committee, and Co-Chair of the College of Education and Community Innovation’s Faculty Council. In all of these roles, her wisdom, dedication, expertise, grace and collegiality have strengthened the university’s mission and culture.

Outstanding Community Service Award

Kathleen Bailey, Ed.D.
Professor of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Legal Studies

Kathleen Bailey’s dedicated work for more than 40 years has transformed both individual lives and entire systems, making a profound impact on the juvenile justice system, the broader community, GVSU, and her students. Her work is her passion, reforming the criminal justice system’s treatment of its most vulnerable population, juveniles. Bailey’s exceptional achievements include creating the state’s only Juvenile Justice Minor, founding the PALS mentoring program, co-founding Juvenile Justice Vision 20/20, and being appointed by former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder to serve on the Michigan Committee on Juvenile Justice. Bailey’s actions of service are not singular, but are boundless, and her impact to GVSU and West Michigan is profound and long-lasting.

Outstanding Academic Advising & Student Services Award

Jennifer DeWaard, Ed.D.
Assistant Professor of Teaching and Learning

Jennifer DeWaard’s kindness, integrity, and dedication are at the heart of her ability to provide exceptional advocacy and care for her students. Learners recognize DeWaard’s ability to connect on a human level, share her own experiences, and make students feel seen, and they appreciate DeWaard’s continued contribution to their learning, as she guides them to a successful future as inclusive educators. Along with her exceptional advising skills, DeWaard is known for her expertise in academic policies and procedures, as her implementation of a new program structure is greatly recognized by her colleagues. 

Pew Teaching Excellence Award

Lindsay Stoetzel, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Literacy, Educational Foundations, and Technology

Lindsay Stoetzel demonstrates outstanding teaching excellence through a deeply reflective, research-informed, and student-centered approach. By redesigning Education Reading 320 into a community-based, inquiry-driven course, Stoetzel provides pre-service educators with authentic, hands-on literacy experiences in partnership with local schools, fostering both professional growth and self-efficacy. Through ongoing self-study, peer feedback, and student co-creation of assignments, Stoetzel continually refines her instructional practices, ensuring that students not only understand concepts but can apply them effectively. Ultimately, she exemplifies a commitment to stimulating intellectual curiosity, supporting student learning, and advancing the field of literacy education.