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President's EDIA Awards

The President’s EDIA Awards recognize the outstanding efforts by students in advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility at Dalhousie. 
Students accepting the President's EDIA award on stage.

President’s Awards for the Advancement of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (EDIA)

At Dalhousie, we believe that equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility are fundamental to education and employment, and therefore, are essential institutional values. To support our collective community efforts to advance equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility, Dalhousie is pleased to present the President’s Awards for the Advancement of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (EDIA) – student category.

This award is in recognition of Dalhousie’s EDIA core values and framework and is inseparable from the university’s strategic plan.   

The award recognizes the outstanding efforts by students in advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility at Dalhousie. 

Eligibility

Nominations for the student category are welcomed and encouraged for individuals and groups in all university areas. Groups can be a formal or an informal Dalhousie student organization.

Nominees should possess the following attributes: 

  • They demonstrate an understanding that a commitment to EDIA means focusing on dismantling unjust structures that systematically marginalize or exclude some while privileging and advantaging others.

  • They work consistently to promote an inclusive campus community at Dal. 

  • They demonstrate an ongoing commitment to EDIA.

  • They go "above and beyond" what would normally be expected of their portfolios to accomplish said objectives. 

  • They should be able to clearly connect their extraordinary work/volunteer time to their efforts to advance EDIA.

Note: Prior winners cannot be nominated again in the same category. 

Criteria

Nominations must describe how the individual or group demonstrated exceptional and creative achievement in advancing equity, diversity and/or inclusiveness and be linked to one or more of the Four Goals of Dalhousie’s Diversity and Inclusiveness Strategy. 

Climate and intergroup relations

  • Promotes a welcoming, respectful, and inclusive learning or working environment on campus

  • Increases EDIA outreach, collaboration, partnerships, and learning programs to initiate and strengthen relations with communities, including through community service.

Student access and success

  • Improves educational equity, access, and retention to academic programs for underrepresented or underserved students.

  • Builds community, creating spaces for care, growth, and development (mentorship, other types of support, creating safe spaces, etc.).

Education and research

  • Improves educational opportunities about equity, diversity, and inclusion in any academic discipline or across disciplines.

  • Integrates a diverse lens into their course and/or research, including in the STEM fields. 

  • Develops and works on research that benefits and seeks to uplift underrepresented groups.

Institutional viability and vitality (structures)

  • Improves recruitment or retention of underrepresented or underserved faculty and staff.

  • Improves University systems, structures, policies, or practices to better support equity, diversity, and inclusiveness.

  • Improves processes for monitoring, assessing, or reporting on equity, diversity, and inclusiveness.

Additional factors

  • Creativity and innovation in approach, design, collaboration, and implementation of the EDIA initiatives.

  • Positive outcomes in achieving greater equity and/or inclusiveness within the university, the local community, and/or nationally. 

  • Engagement of diverse people.

  • Tangible benefits to campus life. 

Application process

Nominations must be submitted through the online nomination form, which includes submitting a maximum of three supporting statements, one of which should be written by a Dalhousie nominator (between 250 and 1,000 words each).  

Complete the online nomination form