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VWHE is pleased to announce the upcoming 36th annual presentation of recognition awards to women in the field of higher education. Nominations are now open! We’re also looking for workshop proposals for the Spring Leadership Conference. We’re excited to introduce our inaugural award, the Dr. Wanda Heading-Grant Award for Justice, to complement the three awards we have given to women in higher education for the past 36 years: The Sister Elizabeth Candon Award for Distinguished Service The Jackie Gribbons Award for Leadership The Peggy R. Williams Emerging Professional Award You are in a unique position to nominate someone who has made significant achievement as a leader in their profession, and who would be considered an innovator of unique programs and services, and an advocate for issues relating to women. The awards will be presented in person at the VWHE Spring Conference, to be held at the Stoweflake Resort & Spa on March 24, 2022. (Registration for the conference will be announced in mid-January) If you have questions or need further information, please contact Pelin Kohn at pkohn@norwich.edu or Cheryl Casey at ccasey@champlain.edu.We look forward to receiving your nomination(s)! Deadline for submissions is January 15, 2022   The Dr. Wanda Heading-Grant Award for Justice will be presented to a woman who has demonstrated significant commitment and leadership in fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education, especially uplifting and empowering those from traditionally marginalized and underrepresented communities. We are excited to recognize the inaugural recipient of this newly created award and to furthering the work that Dr. Heading-Grant has championed.Dr. Wanda Heading-Grant Award for Justice Nomination Form Dr. Wanda Heading-Grant is Carnegie Mellon University’s inaugural Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and Chief Diversity Officer. She also holds a faculty appointment as Distinguished Service Professor in the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy at CMU. Dr. Heading-Grant previously served as vice president for DEI at the University of Vermont. Her three decades of career service span a broad range of academic and administrative roles including Associate Dean, Associate Provost, Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President for HR. Her wealth of professional experience and volunteer involvement on the boards of non-profit organizations and civil rights committees have earned her a reputation as a cultural architect able to build and sustain real and lasting change.  The Sister Elizabeth Candon Award for Distinguished Service is presented to a woman who has shown evidence of promoting and working toward the advancement of women in higher education and involvement at the national, regional, state, and local levels in related activities.Sister Elizabeth Candon Award for Distinguished Service Nomination Form   Maria Mercedes Avila, Ph.D. of The University of Vermont was the 2019 recipient of the Sister Elizabeth Candon Distinguished Service Award.Dr. Avila is an associate professor of pediatrics, director of Vermont Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) and health equity liaison in the Larner Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. She has been published several times in various Vermont publications, over the last year, discussing “health and racial disparities in COVID-19.” In February 2021, Dr. Avila was a speaker at Lt. Governor Molly Gray’s hosted “Seat at the Table” on the topic of equity in public health.  The Jackie Gribbons Award for Leadership is presented to a woman who has demonstrated leadership ability, served as a model and mentor, developed innovative programs, and contributed significantly to the institution and profession.Jackie Gribbons Award for Leadership Nomination Form   Beverly Colston of The University of Vermont was the 2019 Recipient of the Jackie M. Gribbons Leadership Award. Ms. Colston is Director of The Mosaic Center for Students of Color (MCSC) at The University of Vermont (UVM). Last year, she became a Board member with Vermont Humanities; and was part of a virtual event to stand in solidarity for lives lost to racial injustices at UVM.  The Peggy R. Williams Emerging Professional Award is presented to a woman who is in the early stages of her career, demonstrates excellence in her contributions to students, colleagues, and/or her institution (in such areas as service, innovative programs, teaching, research, etc.), and shows promise and potential for future contributions. Peggy R. Williams Emerging Professional Award Nomination Form   Allison Neal of Norwich University was the 2019 recipient of the Peggy R. Williams Emerging Professional Award. Dr. Neal is an Assistant Professor, Biology at Norwich University, and Co-director of the Vermont Science Fair. Dr. Neal has also been called a “women in STEM trailblazer.” In 2020, Dr. Neal was featured on NBC5 for a story entitled “Sharing a passion for STEM careers with a new generation.”  We’re looking for workshop proposals for our 2022 VWHE Annual Spring Leadership Conference & Awards, to be held on Thursday, March 24th and Friday, March 25th, 2022 at Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa.Conference registration coming mid-January! Workshops will take place during concurrent sessions on Friday, March 25th. Proposals are due by January 7th, 2022. Proposals should address the theme of the conference, Renew, Refresh Reinvigorate, and should be designed to engage women in active learning and dialogue about the topics that fall under the following types of themes: Renew & Restore Work-life balance Interpersonal work/life communication practices Disconnect to reconnect Rediscover purpose Meditation/yoga/mindfulness Get back in touch with your own strength and power We are interested in incorporating both skills based and information based workshops. New and experienced presenters are encouraged to apply. Any questions, please email Shaylea Scribner at sscribner@champlain.edu. Submit Your Workshop Proposal Vermont Women in Higher Education| www.vwhe.org |
