Cornell University: Nominations sought for faculty community-engaged learning awards

The David M. Einhorn Center for Community Engagement is accepting nominations for two awards that honor faculty excellence in community-engaged teaching and research. Nominations for the George D. Levy Teaching and Research Award and the Kaplan Family Distinguished Faculty Fellowship are due Monday, April 4, 2022.

The Levy award recognizes a Cornell faculty member whose partnerships serve as models for outstanding community-engaged learning in the classroom or through research. The $5,000 annual award was established by the Levy family in memory of George D. Levy MBA ’54, and goes to a faculty member whose courses, research and other activities demonstrate shared or collaborative decision-making that incorporates community voice and reciprocity into the design, implementation and evaluation of the project; community capacity building; integrating community-engaged student learning outcomes into course or research design and delivery; and planning for sustaining the community partnership.

The Kaplan fellowship recognizes the importance of the national movement in higher education for greater involvement in civic engagement. Each year, the honor goes to two faculty members who are having a significant impact on undergraduate, professional or graduate education at Cornell by involving their students in challenging service-learning programs. Kaplan fellows receive $5,000 to further develop a community-based learning or research project, initiate a new effort or seek institutionalization of a community-engaged learning course. Barbara Kaplan ’59, her husband Leslie Kaplan, son Douglas Kaplan ’88 and daughter Emily Kaplan Dodge ’91 established the fellowship in 2002.

Previous Levy recipients and previous Kaplan recipients have been recognized for their partnerships focused on formerly incarcerated people, the U.S. labor movement, public health in Tanzania, farmworkers in New York state and more.