The Carolina Center for Public Service is issuing a call for nominations for their annual award ceremony for individuals and groups within the UNC community who have exemplified extraordinary public service.
Nominations must be submitted by Feb. 8 for all three awards. Two awards — Robert E. Bryan and Office of the Provost Awards — require brief, two-paragraph nominations and nominees will be contacted to complete a more detailed submission about their work. The Ned Brooks Award requires a full nomination by the February deadline.
“One of the things that these awards demonstrate is the breadth and depth of the work across Carolina that partners with the community to address issues of shared concern,” said Lynn Blanchard, director of CCPS.
CCPS has served as a hub for public service since 1999, said Blanchard. The three awards are available to faculty, staff, students and other UNC groups involved with service work in the community.
CCPS serves as a catalyst for students who want to make connections in the community, providing them with the materials and expertise, said Justin Williford, UNC senior and president of APPLES Service Learning.
“I think (CCPS) serves as connection building within the community," said Williford. "So basically, all the programs focus around taking some population on campus, be it students, be it faculty and administration, and connecting them to the community at large."
Luisa Brooks, an administrative services specialist for CCPS, said instead of just recognizing overall service, these awards commend individuals or organizations for a specific effort. At the annual celebration this spring, winners will receive a framed certificate and award money.
In 2018, the Ned Brooks Award was given to anthropology professor Dorothy Holland, whose work focuses on collaborations between the University and the community to create new opportunities. Holland co-founded the Center for Integrating Research and Action, which connects University researchers with community leaders to advance social justice, and the Graduate Certificate in Participatory Research, an interdisciplinary certificate which trains students to carry out research with communities instead of on communities.
“It's quite an honor that helps people say, ‘Oh, that's what she's been doing for the last eight years or whatever,’ because you get a chance to explain what participatory research is,” said Holland.
