Transform Mid-Atlantic Annual Awards Categories and Requierments
Click Here to Learn more about the 2026 TMA Awards program
Alan G. Penczek Service-Learning Faculty Awards
Recognizes and honors one faculty member in each of the three higher education sectors (public universities, community colleges, independent colleges and universities) for excellence in the integration of service-learning into the curriculum and impact to students and the community. Applicants/nominees will be judged according to criteria expressed in the Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning (click here to see excerpt from pp. 16-19, Howard, J. (2001). Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning: Service-Learning Course Design Workbook. OCSL Press.).
Eligibility: Applicants/nominees must be:
- A full-time appointed, contracted, tenured, or tenure-track faculty member or a full or part-time, permanent or temporary administrative position directing community engagement/service-learning as a primary appointment that has emerged out of and is still associated with a faculty appointment.
- All applicants/nominees must be employed at a Transform Mid-Atlantic member institution in good standing.
Required Documents: Applicants/nominators must submit a:
- Completed nomination form.
- Resume/CV of the nominee.
- Sample course syllabus.
- Contact information for 2 references.
- Optional: Nominators may attach up to 3 additional supporting documents, including but not limited to letter(s) of support/impact, report on individual’s/partnership’s impact, story/media, etc.
Engaged Scholarship Award
Recognizes outstanding research and scholarly contributions made to the fields of service-learning, experiential learning, and/or community-based participatory research (CBPR) learning.
Applications/nominations will be judged on the following questions: Is the applicant/nominee’s research innovative or cutting edge? Does it advance the field and if yes, how? Does it fill a particular gap missing from current research, or does it fill a new niche with new information needed in the field? What evidence is provided to demonstrate how the work has influenced other research, or how it has been applied in practice? (i.e. Has it been widely circulated and read? Utilized by practitioners or others?) Does it provide new data necessary to increase the sustainability and visibility of service-learning, experiential learning, or CBPR? The award will be given for early career or career scholarship in the field, and recipient will be selected based on both the quality and breadth of their work.
Eligibility: Applicants/nominees must be:
- A faculty member, graduate student, or other individual who has conducted community-engaged research.
- All applicants/nominees must be employed or attend Transform Mid-Atlantic member institution in good standing.
Required Documents: Applicants/nominators must submit a:
- Completed nomination form.
- Resume/CV of the nominee.
- Recently (since 2018) published peer-reviewed journal article, book chapter, or policy brief of which the nominee is the first author.
- Contact information for 2 references.
- Optional: Nominators may attach up to 3 additional supporting documents, including but not limited to letter(s) of support/impact, report on individual’s/partnership’s impact, story/media, etc.
Global Citizenship Award
Recognizes an individual, group, or institution that contributes to shifting campus and community culture for the development of global citizens and mutual understanding at the local, regional, or international scale. Nominees may be an administrator, faculty member, current student, campus-community partnership, volunteer office, or another collegiate or community-based program that advances global citizenship and mutual understanding in their community.
Eligibility: Applicants/nominees must be:
- An administrator, faculty member, community-engaged practitioner/staff member, current student, campus-community partnership, volunteer office, other collegiate/community-based program, or institution that advances global citizenship and mutual understanding in their community.
- All applicants/nominees must be employed or enrolled at a Transform Mid-Atlantic member institution in good standing.
Required Documents: Applicants/nominators must submit a:
- Completed nomination form.
- Resume/CV of the nominee(s).
- Contact information for 2 references.
- Optional: Nominators may attach up to 3 additional supporting documents, including but not limited to letter(s) of support/impact, report on individual’s/partnership’s impact, story/media, etc.
Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion - Civic & Community Engagement (JEDI-CCE) Award
Recognizes an individual or outstanding campus-community partnership that contributes to the intersection and institutionalization of equity and civic and community engagement, within the culture of the campus and community, involving community voice in the development of partnerships and producing measurable impact in both faculty and student participants and the community. Consideration will be given for demonstrated equity, sustainability, reciprocity, and mutual collaboration.
Eligibility: Applicants/nominees must be:
- An administrator, faculty member, community-engaged practitioner/staff member, or current student working to institutionalize a culture of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion through their leadership, scholarship, teaching, and/or partnerships.
- All applicants/nominees must be employed or enrolled at a Transform Mid-Atlantic member institution in good standing.
Required Documents: Applicants/nominators must submit a:
- Completed nomination form.
- Resume/CV of the nominee.
- Contact information for 2 references.
- Optional: Nominators may attach up to 3 additional supporting documents, including but not limited to letter(s) of support/impact, report on individual’s/partnership’s impact, story/media, etc.
Transformational Leadership Award
Recognizes and honors one individual for outstanding contributions to the institutionalization of equity and community engagement by inspiring a culture of service/civic and community engagement on their campus, in their organization, and/or community and involving community voice in the development of sustainable partnerships and collaboration. This award honors a person who has contributed to the overall success of campus community collaboration and advanced community engagement at their university or organization.
Eligibility: Applicants/nominees must be:
- An administrator or community-engaged practitioner/staff member whose work has contributed significantly to the overall institutionalization of campus-community collaboration at a college, university, agency, or other organization, including people whose job description includes enhancing community engagement.
- All applicants/nominees must be employed at a Transform Mid-Atlantic member institution in good standing.
Required Documents: Applicants/nominators must submit a:
- Completed nomination form.
- Resume/CV of the nominee.
- Contact information for 2 references.
- Optional: Nominators may attach up to 3 additional supporting documents, including but not limited to letter(s) of support/impact, report on individual’s/partnership’s impact, story/media, etc.
Transformational Partnership Award
Recognizes one outstanding campus-community partnership that produces measurable impact on both student participants and in the community. Consideration will be given for demonstrated equity, sustainability, reciprocity, and mutual collaboration. Partnerships include those between higher education institutions and non-profit organizations, community-based organizations, K-12 schools, government agencies, international partners, etc.
Eligibility: For consideration of the award, a partnership must demonstrate:
- Mutually beneficial collaboration between a college or university and a K-12 school/district, nonprofit, or business partner that addresses a community need and/or social or equity issue in partnership with a Transform Mid-Atlantic member institution in good standing.
- Measurable positive impact of community health (defined broadly) through the development of expanded economic opportunities, improving social networks, and/or expanding civic engagement.
- Demonstrated reciprocity that provides a meaningful learning experience for higher education participants and enhances community life.
- Efforts to involve other partners in an equitable and inclusive manner (e.g., K-12 schools/ districts, businesses, civic organizations, government agencies, faith-based institutions).
- Demonstration of sustainability and ongoing commitment to the partnership.
Required Documents: Applicants/nominators must submit a:
- Completed nomination form.
- Resume(s)/CV(s) of the nominee(s) or the partnership’s primary point(s) of contact.
- Narrative overview of the partnership’s mission, goals, impact, and outcomes to date (3 double-spaced page maximum).
- Contact information for 2 references.
- Optional: Nominators may attach up to 3 additional supporting documents, including but not limited to letter(s) of support/impact, report on individual’s/partnership’s impact, story/media, etc.
Transformational Student Leadership Award
Recognizes and honors one student or student group from a TMA member higher education institution for their leadership in and commitment to service projects that extend beyond any co-curricular requirements or course-based service-learning. Priority is given to individuals or groups that demonstrate their project led to long-term, equitable and sustainable community impact and transformation (e.g. not simply number of volunteer hours served, etc.).
Eligibility: The applicant/nominee(s) must:
- Be a student or student group in good academic standing at a Transform Mid-Atlantic member institution.
- Participate in community service activities that:
- Benefit the campus and/or community.
- Address social, political or economic issues.
- Demonstrate leadership for social change and/or civic engagement.
- Service efforts must provide service for the community at large. (Religious, fraternal, or professional groups providing services only to members will not be considered.)
Required Documents: Applicants/nominators must submit a:
- Completed nomination form.
- If individual student applicant/nominee: Resume/CV of the nominee.
- If student group: Names of up to five student leaders of the group and description of the group’s mission and work.
- Contact information for 2 references.
- Optional: Nominators may attach up to 3 additional supporting documents, including but not limited to letter(s) of support/impact, report on individual’s/partnership’s impact, story/media, etc.
Transform Mid-Atlantic Exceptional AmeriCorps VISTA Service Award
Recognizes and honors a recent alum/na of the TMA AmeriCorps VISTA Program for their dedication to national and community service through their commitment to national service, anti-poverty efforts, and community engagement. The award annually recognizes at least one TMA AmeriCorps VISTA member who has completed at least one year of service and whose contributions have strengthened institutional capacity, the building of strong campus-community partnerships, and sustainable community development within the region.
Eligibility: The applicant/nominee(s) must:
- Have recently completed at least one year of service as a TMA AmeriCorps VISTA Member at the time of their nomination.
Required Documents: Applicants/nominators must submit a:
- Completed nomination form.
- Resume/CV of the nominee.
- Contact information for 2 references.
- Optional: Nominators may attach up to 3 additional supporting documents, including but not limited to letter(s) of support/impact, report on individual’s/partnership’s impact, story/media, etc.
Transform Mid-Atlantic Exceptional AmeriCorps VISTA Mentorship Award
Recognizes and honors at least one site supervisor of a current TMA AmeriCorps VISTA Project for their outstanding mentorship and commitment to the growth and development of national service volunteers, as well as the mission, vision, and priorities of their institution, AmeriCorps VISTA, and Transform Mid-Atlantic. This award is presented to supervisors each year whose intentional support of a TMA AmeriCorps VISTA Member’s professional and personal development has truly gone above and beyond the program’s expectations.
Eligibility: The applicant/nominee(s) must be:
- A current TMA AmeriCorps VISTA Project site supervisor.
Required Documents: Applicants/nominators must submit a:
- Completed nomination form.
- Resume/CV of the nominee.
- Contact information for 2 references.
- Optional: Nominators may attach up to 3 additional supporting documents, including but not limited to letter(s) of support/impact, report on individual’s/partnership’s impact, story/media, etc.
William E. "Brit" Kirwin Engaged Leader Award
The William E. "Brit" Kirwin Engaged Leader Award recognizes and honors an individual for his or her lifetime contributions as a systemic-change agent. This individual has helped to shape policy to advance communities, ultimately elevating the quality of collective life throughout the Maryland-DC-Delaware region and beyond. Recipients of this award are selected by the TMA Board.
