EDUCAUSE Rising Star Award

About the Award

The EDUCAUSE Rising Star award is intended to recognize an emerging leader in higher education IT whose record reflects ongoing and exceptional growth in contribution to the profession and increased levels of leadership and responsibility. Successful candidates will have not yet reached a senior-level position, but their track-record should reflect a strong potential for appointment at the highest levels of the profession.

Awards will be made at the discretion of the EDUCAUSE Recognition Committee, which may choose to grant one award, no award, or multiple awards in any one year.

Nomination Requirements

Nominations for the Rising Star Award should be submitted with the candidate's permission. Self-nominations will not be accepted. It is the responsibility of the nominator to summarize the nominee's achievements and growth in professional stature and accomplishments in sufficient detail to document why this individual should be recognized as a "rising star" in the profession. All nominations must contain sufficient information to inform the selection process without additional research. Each nomination submitted must adhere to the following outline.

The nomination must include:

Curriculum Vitae or Resume (upload).
Include with the nomination the candidate's vitae or professional resume to provide the selection committee with a more comprehensive overview of the candidate’s accomplishments and experiences. Please note the CV or resume is not a substitute for any of the required information listed in the items below.
Description of how the candidate fulfills the criteria described under the "Guidelines and Eligibility" section for this award (upload). (750-1200 words/2-4 pages)
Three letters of reference, one of which must be from the CIO, CTO, or equivalent institution executive supporting the candidate's nomination (3 uploads).

Guidelines and Eligibility

Candidates must be an early- to mid-stage career information technology professional working in higher education.
Candidates may not have attained the rank of Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Technology Officer (CTO), or other terminal/executive position such as Vice-President or Provost at an institution.
Candidates must have demonstrated exceptional and ongoing achievements and have made significant and demonstrable contributions to their institution(s) and to the profession.
Candidates may not be currently serving on the EDUCAUSE Board, staff, or Recognition Committee.
Candidates will be judged on three primary factors:
- Description of the individual role played by the candidate and the resulting positive outcomes in projects, publications, activities, or initiatives that in total demonstrate exceptional early and ongoing achievement.
- Evidence that the contributions of the candidate are having a sustained and positive impact on his or her institution and/or the profession as a whole.
- Evidence that the candidate's portfolio of work and resulting successes points to increasing levels of responsibility, both internal and external to the institution.
In addition, the Committee will also look for evidence that supports:
- Significant innovation, given the campus context.
- Uniqueness and impact of the candidate's contributions.

Nominations

The call for 2018 nominations will be open December 2017 – February 2018.

Recognition

Award recipients are recognized at the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference and receive complimentary registration, travel, and housing for the conference. A session at the Annual Conference is dedicated to the award and highlights of accomplishments added to the award gallery on the EDUCAUSE website.

Recipients will also earn an EDUCAUSE badge. Badges are emerging as a way for individuals to digitally document ongoing community engagement, professional development, and accomplishments, and they recognize incremental learning in highly visible ways. Award recipients can display a digital badge in recognition of their achievement.

Recipients

Learn more about Rising Star Award Recipients.