The Award Honors Organizations & Individuals for Outstanding Access & Equity Contributions
NEW YORK, NY, May 9, 2024 – The Institute of International Education (IIE) today issued a call for nominations for its second annual Empower Award. Presented by the IIE Center for Access and Equity, the Empower Award honors outstanding organizations and individuals for elevating strategic models of advancing access and equity in international higher education and their exemplary contributions to promoting the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access (DEIA).
Last year, the Center presented the inaugural IIE Empower Award to NAFSA: Association of International Educators in recognition of its exceptional commitment to DEIA within the international education field through in its organizational strategies and programming, including its RISE (Representation, Inclusion, Support, and Empowerment) Fellowship and Tamara H. Bryant Memorial Scholarship.
Nominations must demonstrate impact in the cultivation of global learning, support for access among underrepresented communities, and/or leveraging programs or partnerships that examine the intersection of international higher education and DEIA. IIE will select one recipient and provide a monetary prize to further advance their access and equity initiative(s), empowering them and impacting their communities. IIE welcomes nominations of individuals and organizations located anywhere across the globe.
An organizational recipient will be awarded U.S. $1,500, while an individual recipient will be awarded U.S. $500. Self-nominations, which will be accepted online, are open from May 9 to June 28, 2024. Complete nominations include a submitted online nomination form and reference form received by the given deadline. The winner will be selected and notified in early August and IIE will coordinate a recognition event with the awardee in the following months.
“The Empower Award is now our favorite time of the year at the IIE Center for Access and Equity,” proclaimed Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Courtney Temple. “In the true spirit of inclusion and access, we are opening nominations to the public this year. We are eager to celebrate the people and organizations who are demonstrating an unwavering commitment to these values within the international education field.”
The IIE Center for Access and Equity recently celebrated its first anniversary and has a number of accomplishments to its name. It exists to convene and propel individuals, organizations, and governments in advancing DEIA in international education. The IIE Empower Award paves the way for further collaboration and opens new avenues for joint initiatives in the DEIA landscape.
IIE remains committed to fostering collaborations and opportunities that contribute to greater access and a more equitable, inclusive, and diverse international higher education community.
About the Institute of International Education
The Institute of International Education (IIE) is the leader in designing and implementing international education strategies and program services. We work with governments, policymakers, educators, and employers across the globe to prepare students and professionals for the global workforce and equip them to solve the increasingly complex challenges facing our interconnected world. With support from donors, we also create initiatives that assist students, scholars, and artists whose lives and work are threatened; expand teaching and learning across cultures; and provide opportunities to underserved populations. A not-for-profit organization founded in 1919, IIE has an extensive network of offices and affiliates worldwide and over 1,600 higher education partners. Learn more at www.iie.org.
About the IIE Center for Access and Equity
The IIE Center for Access and Equity aims to advance accessible programming and equitable practices in community building that enrich and expand international education, exchange, and opportunity for all. Through dialogue and action, the Center leverages programs and partnerships that examine the intersection of international education with diversity, equity, inclusion, and access; cultivates global learning to support engagement and understanding of individuals and communities; and supports access for underrepresented communities by examining and addressing structural inequities. Learn more at www.iie.org/CAE.