Awards

The community of LGBTQ Higher Education Resource Professionals is comprised of a vast array of dedicated individuals committed to enriching the lives and campus climates for LGBTQ people and their allies in higher education. It is only appropriate that we are able to recognize the durable and sustainable impact that we and our colleagues have at our institutions. The nomination process for awards opens annually.

Current Status of Nominations

The nominations for the 2025 Consortium Awards are closed. Nominations for the 2026 Consortium Awards will open early next year.

List of Awards

Chris Woods Commitment to Service Award

Renamed in 2021 to honor Chris Woods, a longtime Consortium member who served in a variety of roles as a member of the Executive Board as the Anti-Racism/Racial Justice Chair, Recorder, acting Chair, and the inaugural Internal Coordinator. This award is designed to recognize and honor individuals who have provided exemplary service to the Consortium. Awardees will have demonstrated exceptional involvement in organization programs, activities, or initiatives in service to members of the Consortium.

Distinguished Achievement in the Profession Award

This award recognizes distinguished achievements in the profession recognizes and honors individuals whose work has attained preeminence in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender services and programs in higher education. This work includes areas related to practice and policy, research and theory, as well as programs and service. The work exemplifies the profession and is represented by a broad scope of activities and accomplishments.

Research and Assessment Award

This award recognizes research and assessment recognizes an individual member or group for contributions that increase the body of literature related to sexuality and gender in higher education and improve programs and services that directly impact LGBT people in higher education settings. This award acknowledges the role and importance of both research and assessment in LGBT support services in higher education, particularly related to the intersecting identities of race, class, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, ability, national origin, age, familial status, veteran status, and other emerging identities.

Promising New Professional Award

This award recognizes a professional with less than five years of experience and the unique role new professionals play in supporting students and innovating campus programs while elevating the work of a campus LGBTQ Center. The award recognizes a new professional who is doing outstanding service, demonstrates innovative or creative effort within the profession, and shows significant promise for leadership on the field.

Dr. Sheltreese D. McCoy Award for Outstanding Social Justice Practice

Named in honor of the work and legacy of Dr. Sheltresse D. McCoy, this award recognizes significant commitments to social justice in both the field of Student Affairs as an academic discipline and through advanced practice in a professional capacity. This includes research, published work, advocacy, policy change, advising and/or mentoring student organizations, curriculum creation, best practices, and other work that addresses the intersecting identities of race, class, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression, ability, national origin, age, familial status, veteran status, and other emerging identities.

Awards Review Committee

The award review committee is made up of at least one Board member and multiple member volunteers. Committee members are asked to attend committee calls, with a specific time/date to be determined based on committee availability, and complete other required tasks totaling up to 4 hours of overall work.

Questions or interested in helping review awards? Email the Membership Engagement Collective at [email protected].

Past Winners

Listed positions and name of awards reflect those current at the time of the award being given.