DEI Awards

The UMSI Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office (DEIO) offers two awards recognizing members of the UMSI community for contributions to UMSI's goals for advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) including efforts to build an anti-racist community.

Award Eligibility:

Current UMSI students, faculty members, postdoctoral fellows and staff members
Self-nominations are both allowable and strongly encouraged
Nominations can be submitted for an individual or a UMSI affiliated or sponsored organization, group or team of up to 5 members.
Nomination may recognize recently completed, current and/or ongoing work (administrative, educational, service or research).

Award Recognition:

Individual award: $500.
Group award: Up to five members receive $500 each.
Awards are announced on the UMSI website and recipient names are added to a DEI Award plaque.

Each fall and winter, the UMSI community is informed about these awards. Nominations are prompted in the spring, and award recipients are confirmed with input from members of the DEI Committee (if a member of the committee is nominated they are recused from the process).

Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

Submit your nomination (form opens for nominations each spring). The deadline to submit nominations for 2024 is March 22, 2024.

The UMSI Award for Impact in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion may be given to up to three individuals or groups a year.

Criteria include:

Facilitate opportunities to bring people from different backgrounds in the school together
Engage in advocacy and efforts to enact change in support of DEI whether as an individual, in a group, on a team or as part of a school or university committee or group
Design, develop and/or implement programs or events that support and advance DEI efforts and goals
Demonstrate a high level of commitment to DEI in formal or informal leadership roles, administration, service, teaching and/or scholarship
Demonstrate the use of scholarly and/or professional work to enhance the success of students, faculty and staff from underserved and minoritized communities
Display commitment to valuing diversity, equity and inclusion above and beyond assigned job responsibilities

The UMSI Award for Impact in Gender Diversity in Information & Technology is given to 1-2 individuals or one group a year.

Criteria include:

Expand knowledge and opportunities for women, transgender people and/or non-binary people in information or information technology
Positively influence the careers of women, transgender people and/or non-binary people in information and/or information technology
Serve as an ally and/or advocate for the advancement of gender diversity at UMSI and/or in the field of information or information technology
Provide mentorship to increase the awareness of the need for women, transgender people and/or non-binary people in information or information technology