Awards and Contests

Current Issue - June 2008

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Listed in order of deadline

• Bank of America: Neighborhood Excellence Initiative
• IARSLCE Dissertation Award
• Video Contest:  Institute for Emerging Issues NEW!
• The Jenzabar Foundation 2008 Student Leadership Awards NEW!

Bank of America: Neighborhood Excellence Initiative

The Neighborhood Excellence Initiative, Bank of America’s signature philanthropic program, recognizes, nurtures, and rewards nonprofit organizations and individuals working to improve their communities. The focus is on areas such as education, community development, arts and culture, and health and human services. The Initiative’s Neighborhood Builders category provides grants to two nonprofit organizations in each of the Bank’s 45 markets. The Local Heroes category provides grants to nonprofit organizations selected by each of five recognized individuals in the targeted markets. Applications and nominations must be submitted online by June 27, 2008. Guidelines for both categories are available on the Bank of America website listed below.

http://www.bankofamerica.com/foundation/index.cfm?template=fd_neighborexcell

IARSLCE Dissertation Award

The IARSLCE Dissertation Award recognizes a dissertation that advances research on service-learning

and/or community engagement through rigorous and innovative inquiry.

Criteria for Eligibility: 

Applicants can be from any academic discipline. They must have successfully defended their dissertation between June 1, 2006 and June 30, 2008.

Criteria for Evaluation:

Applications will be evaluated based on the quality of the research summary and the strength of the

dissertation advisor’s letter of recommendation. Exemplary dissertations will address important questions, develop robust theoretical or conceptual frameworks, demonstrate the use of rigorous data collection and analysis, show compelling conclusions, and expand on the study’s results to suggest important implications for theory/research on service-learning and/or community engagement.

Process for Evaluation:

Applications will be reviewed by an award committee, comprised of at least two members of the IARSLCE Board of Directors and two members of IARSLCE. The committee will make a recommendation to the IARSCLE Board, and the Board will make the selection.

Submission Procedures:

Applicants should submit the following materials electronically:

. One-page title sheet stating the applicant’s name, mailing and e-mails addresses, phone number, institution name, program, name of advisor, and date of successfully defended dissertation.

. Summary statement of the dissertation. The summary must not exceed five single-spaced, typed pages and should address the following:

1. Purpose/Problem

2. Theoretical/Conceptual Framework

3. Methods and Data Sources

4. Results/Conclusions

5. Significance of the study for theory/research or practice related to service-learning and/or community engagement.

. One letter of recommendation from the dissertation chair

. Nominee’s resume or curriculum vitae

Deadline: Complete applications must be received by June 30, 2008. Please submit nomination to the Dissertation Research Award committee chair, Min Cho, at mcho@vcu.edu.

The award recipient will be notified in early August. The award recipient receives an invitation to make a presentation at the annual IARSLCE conference, a plaque (to be presented at the conference), and a

monetary award in the form of complimentary IARSLCE conference registration and accommodation.

Video Contest - Institute for Emerging Issues

EnergIEIz’d: Communities in the New Energy Economy is the Institute for Emerging Issues' video contest to find out what challenges and opportunities your community faces in the new energy economy.  They are sponsoring a video contest focused on the work underway to address energy challenges, and the economic development opportunities for future growth to foster a thriving, sustainable community.  The winning entry will receive $1,000.  The contest deadline is July 18, 2008.  For more information, visit IEI's website at: http://www.ncsu.edu/iei/newsroom/2008/4/director.php

The Jenzabar Foundation 2008 Student Leadership Awards

The Jenzabar Foundation is now accepting applications for the 2008 Student Leadership Awards which recognize student leaders who have led campus groups or activities that have made a significant impact outside of their campus communities, either through ongoing work or through the completion of a project, during the 2007-08 academic year.  Seven student leaders will be recognized with an award and the group that they represent will be issued a $5,000 grant from The Jenzabar Foundation to continue their work and/or fund a new project that is consistent with the mission of The Jenzabar Foundation.

The mission of The Jenzabar Foundation is to recognize and support the good works and humanitarian efforts of student leaders serving others across the global community. The Foundation seeks to foster a culture of service and to educate and inspire future generations to create a better world.

Nominations are open to student organizations from any institution of higher education. While self-nominations will be accepted, The Jenzabar Foundation would prefer that nominations be made by a representative of the institution that has sanctioned the group of activity.

Nominations must be received by September 12, 2008. To learn more visit: http://www.jenzabar.net/about_jbar/TJF_2008StudentLeadershipAwards.html

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