The UW-Madison Office of Community Relations, the Community Partnerships and Outreach Staff Network and the Morgridge Center for Public Service are pleased to announce that nominations are open for the 2017 UW-Madison Community-University Partnership Awards to recognize the work of UW-Madison faculty, staff and students, and their community partners as they address pressing public issues in the State of Wisconsin. These awards offer an opportunity to thank our community partners and highlight exemplary partnerships that get to the heart of the Wisconsin Idea — community members and UW-Madison personnel working collaboratively to transform our campus and communities for the public good.

The recipients will be recognized at a private reception with UW-Madison Chancellor Becky Blank at Olin House on Wednesday, June 28, from 5 to 7 p.m.

We encourage you to submit nominations to acknowledge the value of the contributions made by community partners, raise the profile of engagement work on campus and congratulate the practitioners who facilitate Wisconsin Idea projects.  Nominations must be completed here by Friday, April 14, 2017.

We encourage submissions that meet the following criteria:

• Nominator must be a UW-Madison faculty, staff or student. A non-university partner must be identified.
• Partnership must be sustained beyond one event/activity.
• Partnership must be active in Wisconsin at the time of nomination and have been active during some portion of the previous fiscal year (July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016).
• At least one member of the University team and one representative of the community partner/organization must be able to attend the reception at Olin House from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 28.

The selection committee will prioritize community-university partnerships that:

• Embody the original spirit of the Wisconsin Idea by contributing to a vibrant, inclusive, participatory democracy.
• Demonstrate a relationship characterized by respect, equity and engagement in all phases of the partnership.
• Build the capacity of both community and university partners to address the target issue(s).
• Result in measurable community change related to the target issue(s).
• Exemplify best practices in the chosen methods or tools of engagement; for example, participatory action research, service learning, or outreach programming.

If you have questions about the awards or the application process, please contact partnershipawards@uc.wisc.edu.