Chancellor's Awards for Public Service

Each year, the Chancellor recognizes students, staff, faculty and community partnerships that embody UC Berkeley's proud tradition of public service and commitment to improving our local and global community.
 

Nominations for 2012-2013 are now closed.

The 2013 recipients will be honored at an awards ceremony and reception on May 9 from 3:30-5pm at the Alumni House.
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The awards are supported by the Office of the Chancellor, Local Government & Community Relations, Cal Corps Public Service Center, and the Cal Alumni Association. If you have questions, please contact Suzan Akin.

Award Categories

  • Civic Engagement Awards honor public service by individual undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, staff and student groups.
     
  • Research in the Public Interest Award honors research by faculty that addresses critical needs and issues affecting local, national, or global communities.
     
  • Service-Learning Leadership Award honors leadership by faculty in developing or teaching a course with a service-learning or community-based research component.
     
  • Campus-Community Partnership Awards honor programs or projects that improve the quality of life in our community.

The annual event also includes the presentation of the Mather Good Citizen Award, which recognizes a graduating senior for his or her service.

Nominations

Nominations for the 2012-2013 Chancellor's Awards for Public Service are now closed.

 

Nominations for next year's awards will open in January 2014.

 

A committee of faculty, staff and students review the nominations and select the award recipients.

2013 Awardees

 

Research in the Public Interest
Celine Pallud (Environmental Science, Policy & Management)

Team Award: Mary Comerio (Architecture), Mohammed Hamdouni Alami (Archaeological Research Facility), Khalid Mosalam (Civil & Environmental Engineering), Stefania Pandolfo (Anthropology)
 

Service-Learning Leadership
Genevieve Negron-Gonzales (International & Area Studies)
 

Faculty Award for Civic Engagement
Eric Stover (Berkeley Law Human Rights Center)
 

Campus-Community Partnership
Berkeley Law Student-Initiated Legal Services Projects
 

Staff Award for Civic Engagement
Josefina Canchola (Center for Educational Partnerships)
Judy Scotchmoor (UC Museum of Paleontology)
 

Student Group Award for Civic Engagement
People's Test Preparation Services
Pioneers in Engineering
 

Undergraduate Student Award for Civic Engagement
Gardenia Casillas (Public Health)
Sean Flores (History)
Salih Muhammad (American Studies)
 

Graduate Student Award for Civic Engagement
Alex Scott and Sonya Passi (Berkeley Law)
 

Mather Good Citizen Award
Abhinaya Narayanan (Global Poverty & Practice)
The Mather Award recognizes a graduating senior for outstanding service to campus and community.
 

 

Recipient Profiles

Rachel Morello-Frosch, School of Public Health and College of Natural Resources
Recipient, Faculty Award for Research in the Public Interest, 2012
Dr. Morello-Frosch is a leading figure in the field of environmental health with over 15 years of demonstrated commitment to research in the public interest. Through partnerships with foundations, non-profit organizations, and public agencies, she has helped bring about an important paradigm shift in environmental policy-making towards cumulative impact assessment that addresses the multiple health stressors experienced by environmental justice communities. In so doing, she has helped build the scientific foundation for addressing inequities and positively impacted the lives of thousands of low-income people of color in California and beyond.

 

 Rachel Morello-FroschPhoto by Peg Skorpinski

Christopher Ategeka, Mechanical Engineering
Recipient, Graduate Student Award for Civic Engagement, 2012
Christopher Ategeka is the founder and Executive Director of CA Bikes Uganda which makes and gives away wheelchairs, hand-powered tricycles, and bicycles in Fort Portal, Uganda. Everything is constructed from local resources, including scrap metal, recycled steel and sheet metal. The organization has given out 120 wheelchairs and bicycles to those in need while building community capacity by employing 15 residents in providing these services, training mechanics, and providing computer training. As a result of the program, youth and their families have greater access to education, employment, and healthcare.

 Christopher AtegekaPhoto by Peg Skorpinski

Huong Tran, Integrative Biology
Recipient, Undergraduate Award for Civic Engagement, 2012
Huong Tran is a founding member of Super Star Smile. The organization goes into preschools and elementary schools in low-income areas, teaching children good oral hygiene and providing free toothbrushes and toothpaste. In its two years of existence, the group has reached hundreds of young children. Huong has also been a dedicated volunteer at the Berkeley Free Clinic and the Tri-City Health Organization, providing free dental care and education to people in need. She has also served as a SummerBridge tutor and a peer counselor with Student Life Advising Services/Equal Opportunity Program. She graduated in May 2012.

 Huong TranPhoto by Peg Skorpinski
Building a Healthy and Sustainable Richmond: Y‐PLAN
Recipient, Campus-Community Partnership Award, 2012
Building a Healthy and Sustainable Richmond: Y‐PLAN is a unique university‐school-community partnership engaging and preparing local Richmond youth in the transformation of their school and broader community. This five-year partnership has engaged over 350 youth at Kennedy High School, over 50 UC Berkeley students and dozens of civic and community leaders in working collaboratively toward social and physical transformation of Richmond. Utilizing the Y‐PLAN process and tools, youth learn how to be agents of change while simultaneously preparing for college and careers.		 Building a Healthy and Sustainable Richmond: Y‐PLANPhoto by Peg Skorpinski

 

Other Public Service Awards

In addition to the Chancellor's Awards for Public Service, the campus offers a few other recognition opportunities for students invested in public service.

Note: These are awards given to current students. For post-graduate public service fellowships and opportunities, please see here.

Donald A. Strauss Scholarship
The Strauss Foundation awards $10,000 scholarships to juniors to fund a public service project proposed by the scholarship recipient. A portion of the scholarship may be used towards the recipient's tuition, fees, books, or room and board. Applications must be turned in to the Scholarship Connection (345 Campbell) by mid-February.

Mildred Jordan Sharp Scholarship
For over 40 years, the Mildred Jordan Sharp (MJS) Scholarship has celebrated the leadership and service of Cal women. This scholarship awards women students with junior standing who have demonstrated leadership, service, academics, and personal development in pursuit of a specific future goal or career. Students self-nominate, and must have a minimum 3.0 GPA. The application deadline is mid-March. Awards range from $250-$1,000. If you have any questions, please contact mjs.scholarship@gmail.com.

The Prytanean Prize
The Prytanean Society was founded at UC Berkeley in 1901 to recognize Cal women students who demonstrate faith, service and loyalty to the University Of California, Berkeley. The Prytanean Prize is awarded to a woman student with junior standing in recognition of campus and community service as well as academic excellence. Students must have a minimum 3.2 GPA, and the recipient will be awarded a cash prize of at least $500. The application deadline is mid-March, and includes an essay. The application form can be found in the Resources Section of the Prytanean Student Awards bSpace Site.

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