Awards

 

There is still time to seek fame and fortune through the NACDEP Awards.

OK. So the fame is within the group that is Extension professionals who work on issues related to community development. And to be honest, there is no monetary reward – only plaques and certificates.

Still, having your work – or the work of your colleagues – recognized to be among the best is an important an enriching accomplishment.   That process begin now as nominations for the 2017 NACDEP Awards are now open.

The award categories are unchanged from last year. There have been two minor changes to the process that could affect some nominations/applications

First, a program or process can now only seek one award.  Seeking multiple honors for different parts of the name effort is no longer allowed. (If it appears that the same program or process has been put forth in more than one award category, the submitter will be contacted for a clarification).

Second, awards can now be submitted under a “national only” category. Such packets will be considered for the national awards – but not for regional honors. This new submission option is the result of some larger, multi-state efforts crossing regional boundaries, making it difficult for those working on such activities to know where to submit for awards.

Awards packets will be accepted until 11:59 PM ET on Friday, March 10.  Details on each award category, as well as links to the on-line application process (which will accept up to five separate uploads per awards packet) can be found in the award descriptions.

Winners will be honored at a ceremony at the CDS/NACDEP joint conference in June 11-14 in Big Sky, MT.

Also, there is a link above to the JCEP Creative Excellence Award. This award seeks to provide recognition for creativity and innovation, especially around emerging issue. The deadline for that application is March 3 for NACDEP members. The NACDEP award winner in this category, along with the winners from the six other JCEP organizations, will then compete for the national JCEP honor. Finally, any updates or information on special awards with CDS as part of the joint conference will be announced as it becomes available.

Finally, in the spirit of the combined conference, there is a special joint award this year with the Community Development Society. It is for a team that has members of NACDEP and CDS or an individual who is in both organization whose work encapsulates what NACDEP and CDS are all about. There is a link above for more information and to start the application process. The deadline for this special award is March 31.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to seeing all the good work done over the last year by NACDEP members.

Michael Dougherty
NACDEP Recognition Committee Chair
Michael.Dougherty@mail.wvu.edu