Description
The UTFA Academic Citizenship Award honours one or two initiatives undertaken by members of UTFA who have made a significant contribution to our understanding of the relationship between the University and public life—whether by encouraging the positive engagement of academics in key social issues, or by working to extend democratic and accountable practices within the University itself, or by making an outstanding contribution to the well-being of their community.
The award is accompanied by a $1,000 prize, awarded to one initiative or each of two initiatives annually.
Eligibility
Nominees should be from the broad UTFA membership and not currently serving on the UTFA Executive Committee.
A nominee should:
- have participated in a leadership role in a significant initiative in the current or past academic year;
- be a faculty member or librarian from any of the three University of Toronto campuses or the federated colleges; and
- have contributed a significant amount of time to the initiative without substantial monetary gain from the work.
Selection Criteria
Each nominated initiative will be evaluated based on its demonstrated significance and positive impact, as well as one or more of the following criteria:
- Capacity to engage academics in key social issues
- Promotion of democratic practices at the University
- Advocacy of accountability in University governance
- Outstanding contribution to the well-being of the University or an under-served community
- Innovation: approaching a problem using a new and creative solution
Nomination Materials
The nomination consists of:
- a nomination form
- three narratives, each 300 words or less, that address the following:
- What was the initiative?
- What was the impact or result of the initiative?
- Who else was involved? Explain or describe their contribution.
- one letter of support from a colleague who is an UTFA member
- No additional material may be included.
UTFA Council will choose award winners following on the recommendation of the UTFA Membership Committee.
2023 Recipient
Message from the President
UTFA is proud to deliver the 2023 Academic Citizenship Award to Nisrin Elamin. Professor Elamin’s work addresses the Sudanese crisis, and we commend her courageous efforts in founding The Sudan Solidarity Collective and launching the Sudan Solidarity Fund, which supports grassroots organizations in Sudan. We celebrate Professor Elamin’s extensive public scholarship and international media work, which challenges the lack of attention dedicated to addressing the violence in Sudan as well as its normalization in racist tropes regarding the African continent.
2022 Recipients
Message from the President
UTFA is proud to deliver the 2022 Academic Citizenship Award to faculty members from four different groups. More...
2021 Recipients
Message from the President
UTFA is proud to deliver the 2021 Academic Citizenship Award to the faculty members from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, and particularly Professors Arjumand Siddiqi, Ashleigh Tuite, David Fisman, James Scott, Jeffrey Siegel, and Paul Bozek. These UTFA members were nominated for effectively advocating for the adoption of best practices in health and safety during the global COVID-19 pandemic. More...
2016 Recipients
Message from the Membership Committee Chair
Two awards were presented this year. The first award went to the co-creators of the report Seeing Through the Cloud: Lisa Austin, Heidi Bohaker, Andrew Clement, and Stephanie Perrin. The report cogently and critically addresses third-party outsourcing of e-communications and data services. It is brilliantly researched, making complex processes discernible. The second award went to the List group. The List was initiated in the fall by Deborah Cowen and Alissa Trotz. It hosted monthly panel talks on subjects such as the aftermath of the CUPE strike, the current state of science in the University, and sexual assault. The List also tried to make sense of the challenges to academic freedom in Turkey and India. It brought staff, faculty, and librarians together for genuine impactful dialogue.