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Vice-Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Community Engagement
Australian Catholic University sees community engagement as advancing its Mission in serving the common good and enhancing the dignity and wellbeing of people and communities especially those who are most marginalised or disadvantaged; as integral to its teaching, learning and research; and as depending on trusted relationships and genuine partnerships with community organisations, institutions and corporations.
Community engagement is the process through which the University brings the capabilities of its staff and students to work collaboratively with community groups and organisations to achieve mutually agreed goals that build capacity, improve well-being, and produce just and sustainable outcomes in the interests of people, communities and the University.
The Vice-Chancellors Award for Outstanding Community Engagement is an annual award which seeks to highlight creative leadership in community engagement that enhances the mission of the University and the partners involved.
1. Purpose
The award recognises one outstanding example of transformative national or international community engagement each year. The selected engagement will excel in its commitment to and impacts on the specific and broader communities as well as the Universitys academic endeavours.
The aim is to promote engagement that positions the University as a whole as a leader in the broader community engagement field.
2. Eligibility
To be eligible, an activity must include ACU staff and/or students, have at least one community partner external to the University, be operating within the target community with measurable results and have demonstrated clear capacity building.
3. Submissions
Submissions must be received by the 30 October 2009.
A submission should be no more than 4 A4 pages in length and include the:
- Scope of the project and the stakeholders and their roles;
- Nature of the fit with the Universitys and the nominated partner(s) mission;
- Description of achievements and outcomes including:
- measurable benefits to the community;
- innovation specifically relating to the project;
- potential to extend the learning and knowledge gained beyond the original project;
- creativity that positions the project as an example of outstanding leadership in the broad community engagement field;
- For ACU staff, evidence of project involvement beyond the individuals defined University role.
4. Award Selection
The selection criteria for the Awardare:
- Demonstrated ability to bring renewed hope and opportunity for uneducated communities;
- Evidence of a local, national and/or international partnership(s) that is/are based upon mutual respect, benefit and reciprocity;
- Demonstrated and sustained areas of significant scholarship, research and capacity building;
- Demonstrated long-term community engagement commitment that is measurable, relevant, sustainable, reflective and reciprocal;
- Evidence of excellent stakeholder engagement and satisfaction;
- Demonstrated ability to influence public policy and practice nationally and internationally in relation to community engagement;
- Evidence of attraction and retention of volunteer participation.
The selection committee, which includes external representation and is chaired by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic), will consider nominations and make its recommendation to the Vice-Chancellor.
In any year, an award will only be recommended if the engagement is judged to be of sufficient merit.
5. National Awards
The winner of this award will be considered by the University for nomination for external national awards.
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