Chancellor’s Awards for Public Service

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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. Faculty, staff, undergraduate and graduate students, student organizations, and campus-community partnerships are all eligible. Award categories include: civic engagement, community-engaged teaching, research in the public interest, and campus-community partnership.

Award Information

The Chancellor’s Awards for Public Service honor individuals and groups for their exceptional commitment to advancing social change through public service, a pillar of the university’s public mission. Annually, thousands of students, staff, and faculty devote hundreds of thousands of hours to direct service to the community, and even more hours to research and partnerships that serve the public interest. If awarded, recipient will serve as a representative of the university (including the Chancellor) at the event and in media. These awards will be presented at the annual Chancellor’s Awards for Public Service ceremony.

Award Descriptions

Chancellor’s Awards for Civic Engagement

These four public service awards honor the work of an undergraduate student, a graduate student, a student group, and a staff member for their contributions to the community.

Mather Good Citizen Award

Selected from the nominees for the Chancellor’s Awards for Civic Engagement, this award recognizes a graduating senior for their service and awards $1,500 to the recipient. 

Chancellor’s Award for Community-Engaged Teaching

This award honors leadership by faculty in developing or teaching community-engaged courses or in engaging students in community-based research.

Chancellor’s Award for Research in the Public Interest

This award honors research by faculty that addresses critical needs and issues affecting local, state, national, or global communities.

Chancellor’s Award for Campus-Community Partnership

This award honors campus-community partnerships and University-sponsored programs that improve the quality of life in our community.

Rosalie M. Stern Award

This award honors a woman graduate of UC Berkeley who has demonstrated significant contributions to public service (at the local community, state, or national level).

Robert J. and Mary Catherine Birgeneau Recognition Award for Service to Undocumented Students

This award honors an undergraduate or graduate undocumented student, or student ally, who has performed exemplary service pertaining to undocumented communities. Recipients are awarded $1,500 in recognition of their work. Award information and criteria for nomination.

Robert J. and Mary Catherine Birgeneau Recognition Award for Service to Underrepresented Students

This award honors an undergraduate or graduate underrepresented student, or student ally, who has performed exemplary service pertaining to underrepresented communities. Recipients are awarded $1,500 in recognition of their work. Award information and criteria for nomination.

The Cheng Zedler First Generation Scholar Award

This award honors a first generation student, preferably a graduating senior, for their exemplary public service. Recipient receives a $1500 stipend in recognition of their work.

2024-2025 Recipients

Here are our 2024-2025 Award Recipients. Congratulations! 

Category Recipient Department
Chancellor’s Award for Civic Engagement – Undergraduate Student Esme Nuno Mora Sociology
Chancellor’s Award for Civic Engagement – Graduate Student Danny Munoz Sociology
Chancellor’s Award for Civic Engagement – Staff Shelly Gough HR Business Partner/BEARS Region
Chancellor’s Award for Civic Engagement – Student Group Engineers and Mentors of Berkeley (BEAM)  
Chancellor’s Award for Campus-Community Partnership GrizzlyCorps  
Chancellor’s Award for Research in the Public Interest Philip Stark Statistics
Chancellor’s Award for Community-Engaged Teaching Seth Lunine Geography
Chancellor’s Award for Community-Engaged Teaching Travis Bristol School of Education
Cheng Zedler First Generation Scholar Award Dafne Cruz Rodriguez Political Science
Mather Good Citizen Award Mckenzie Diep College of Environmental Design / College of Letters & Sciences
Rosalie M. Stern Award Betsy Keenan  
Rosalie M. Stern Award Zea Malawa  
Birgeneau Recognition Award for Service to Undocumented Students Frida Calvo Huerta Interdisciplinary Studies
Birgeneau Recognition Award for Service to Underrepresented Students Hakim Owen Social Welfare & Sociology

Award Criteria

  • An important need outside of campus is being addressed.
  • The service has a positive, meaningful impact on the individuals and/or community served.
  • The person/partners demonstrate(s) meaningful, deep commitment to this issue area and the community they are serving.
  • Sufficient information is provided in the nomination to get a sense of the individual’s or program’s accomplishments. The committee will not review material outside the nomination, including links to articles or websites. Instead, please summarize any important points from these external sources.
  • The nominator has provided all required information and submitted on time.
  • Please note: Award recipients are NOT considered differently based on number of nominations and the selection is not based on number of nominations for an individual. If multiple parties are considering nominating the same person, please submit ONE succinct nomination form from all parties. Winners from the last five years are not eligible. To see the list of past years’ award recipients, click here.

The following information overviews the content nominators will be asked to complete on the nomination form:

  1. Describe the community being served by the nominee/the nominee’s work.
  2. Describe the nominee’s public service work (e.g., specific projects, initiatives, strategies) and how it addresses the community issue/need 
  3. Highlight the nominee’s motivation to address this social issue and commitment to their work and community
  4. Describe the impact of the nominee’s public service and how the community benefits.
  5. Has the nominee received other awards for their public service work? If yes, please specify.
  6. Explain roles played by each partner (e.g. financial, in-kind, and volunteer contributions) – for nomination of Campus-Community Partnership award. 

Important Dates for 2024-2025 Awards

Civic Engagement Awards (Student, Student Group, Staff) and Rosalie M. Stern Award

Nomination form is closed.

Faculty and Campus Partnership Awards

Nomination form is closed.

Robert J. and Mary Catherine Birgeneau Awards

Nomination form is closed.

2024-2025 Chancellor’s Awards Ceremony

May 12, 2025
 
Contact Information

Chancellor’s Award Committee
serviceawards@berkeley.edu

Vice Chancellor Dania Mato, Robert J. and Mary Catherine Birgeneau with 2023-2024 Birgeneau award recipients