This annual award aims to recognize the passion, dedication and campus engagement by staff to decolonization, equity, diversity, and inclusion at York.
The Excellence in Decolonization, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (DEDI) Award recognizes outstanding achievement in practice, events, policy, programs, or other activities that foster equitable, sustainable and measurable change on campus, with an intersectional social justice lens, especially for equity-deserving groups (e.g. women, visible/racialized minorities, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQIA+). The Award recognizes ongoing work or an outstanding accomplishment at a point in time.
Criteria
It is the nominator’s responsibility to provide information reflecting the achievements and exceptional nature of the nominee(s). Be thorough and factual and demonstrate how the nominee(s) excel(s) in each of the following criteria:
- Demonstrates exceptional and creative achievement in advancing decolonization, equity, diversity and/or inclusiveness, linked to one of the five Strategic Directions in the DEDI Strategy:
- Teaching and Learning. York University will cultivate inclusive teaching and learning environments that nurture multiple and intersectional ways of knowing, including the incorporation of DEDI principles in curriculum and programs.
- Research and Innovation. York University will cultivate inclusive and equitable research environments that nurture multiple and intersectional ways of knowing, create and nurture diverse research teams and encourage research programs in traditionally equity-deserving settings.
- Representation and Success. Through a range of efforts across the University, York will work to build an environment that is representative of the communities it serves by actively recruiting, supporting, retaining, and advancing students, faculty, instructors, and staff from equity-deserving communities.
- Leadership and Capacity Building. York University strives to be a community where all members demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate through and lead in a diverse world. York commits to building capacity in its leadership to advance EDI for today, tomorrow and the future.
- Campus Climate and Environment. York University will work towards creating an inclusive and equitable community where everyone has the potential to feel a sense of belonging and that they are respected. The University will undertake initiatives to enhance the accessibility of physical and virtual spaces for students, staff, faculty, and instructors.
- Actively contributes to, promotes and/or supports DEDI and an equitable, healthy, inclusive and welcoming learning, teaching, research and/or working environment.
- Encourages or leads others to work together to dismantle barriers to equitable participation or to address systemic injustices, discrimination and stereotypes.
- Demonstrates exceptional respect for human rights and equity.
- Demonstrates impact, creativity, and/or innovation.
Eligibility
Both individual and team nominations will be accepted. Teams who are working on a time limited
project are also eligible for this award.
If you are nominating an individual the following criteria applies:
- Nominee is a full time and permanent employee at York, who has been employed for two continuous years as of December 31, 2024
- Nominee is a non-academic staff member (YUSA, CPM, CUPE 1356, IOUE)
If you are nominating a team the following criteria applies:
- At least 75% of the team members are full-time, continuing staff member at York that have been
- continuously employed for at least two (2) years as of December 31, 2024
- Team members are members of a non-academic staff group (CUPE 1356, CPM, YUSA or IOUE)
- Team has a minimum of two (2) staff members and a maximum of five (5) staff members
Nomination File Requirements
The Chief Nominator is responsible for putting together a nomination file that consists of:
- Three Letters (Maximum):
- One (1) lead nomination letter from the chief nominator
- Two (2) letters of support
- [Requirement for Individual Nominee] Employment Background
- The nominee's C.V. or work history at York University
- The job description of the nominee's current position
- [Requirement for Team Nominee] Team Background
- A list of the team members and a brief description of the role each person plays on the team. Downloaded the team list here.
- Additional Supporting Information
Please feel free to download this checklist to help you compile the nomination file and ensure you have met all of the requirements before completing the online nomination form. NOTE: This checklist does not need to be uploaded with the nomination form and is for your reference only.
Nomination Guidelines
- One of the letters must be from the nominee’s current Manager
- The chief nominator and one supporting nominator, OR two (2) of the supporting nominators must be from outside of the nominee’s home department
- Each letter is from an individual author (multiple authors on a letter are not permitted)
- Self-nominations are not permitted
Letter Formatting and Content Guidelines
- Each letter does not exceed a total of three (3) pages, and the total number of pages of ALL letters combined does not exceed nine (9) pages
- The total nomination package should not be more than fifteen (15) pages including the three letters mentioned above
- Specific examples are used to describe how the nominee meets or exceeds each of the award criteria. Examples include, but are not limited to:
- A strategy or action plan that recognizes or focuses on the importance of DEDI.
- An ongoing action, initiative or program that helps students, prospective students, employees or alumni from an equity-deserving group feel welcome and included, or removes systemic barriers to access or success.
- An impactful tool or practice for an equity-deserving group that has been created or (re)designed, e.g. support service redesign to improve accessibility for people with disabilities.
- An initiative or action aimed at adapting or changing procedures, policies, or practices to decolonize and make them more equitable and inclusive.
- Initiatives to promote pluralism, anti-racism, accessibility, trans-visibility, etc.
- A training and/or education program that advances the work of anti-racism or champions interpersonal skills development.
- Collaborations that engage different student groups or teams within and outside the individual’s home unit.
- Advocacy and support initiatives for an equity-deserving group.
- Quotations from other persons are not permitted.
- No acronyms are used in the letter
- Do not include any confidential documents such as employee performance ratings or evaluations
Excellence is everywhere at York. We encourage you to consider nominating someone from outside your home department.
Applications for the 2024 President's Staff Recognition Awards will open in Winter 2025