University Prize for Strategic, Inclusive, & Diverse Excellence
Nominate your favorite changemakers for Pitt’s diversity awards
Pitt’s diversity awards will be presented Jan. 26, 2024, and nominations are now being accepted to recognize those changemakers and visionaries who are advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility across the University.
Both the UPSIDE Award and the Creating a Just Community Award will be presented during Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice Week.
The deadline for nominations is Dec. 4, 2023.
Since 2016, the University Prize for Strategic, Inclusive, and Diverse Excellence—or “UPSIDE”—has been presented each year to a University of Pittsburgh school, division, initiative, or program area that has made an outstanding effort toward increasing diversity and inclusion. The award includes a $10,000 prize.
Factors for consideration include a consistent, multi-year effort to increase diversity and inclusion; innovative approaches to diversity and inclusion in areas such as recruitment, retention, and promotion in academic programming and business activities; and programs that have developed creative and innovative approaches that can serve as models for other University business units.
Last year’s award was presented to Office of Faculty Diversity & Development and Office of Health Sciences Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion for their work on the “Race & ...” Initiative.
The Creating a Just Community Award debuted in 2014. It recognizes Pitt faculty and staff members who have made outstanding efforts to create a more just, equitable, and inclusive University community. The award includes a $5,000 cash prize.
The 2023 award was presented to Michele Reid-Vazquez, the founding director of the Center for Ethnic Studies Research and leader of the Afrolatinidad Studies Initiative.
Nomination forms are available online:
For more information about either award, email diversity@pitt.edu.
Past Award Winners
The University Prize for Strategic, Inclusive and Diverse Excellence (UPSIDE) is presented annually to the outstanding University of Pittsburgh school, division, initiative, or program area making a significant contri- bution to increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
UPSIDE highlights programs that seek to increase access equity in all aspects of the University by and for minoritized populations, including women and other protected classes. Factors for consideration include a consistent record of commit- ment and success in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and related initiatives that impact the University community; innovative approaches to increasing diversity, equity and inclusion within the University community in areas such as recruitment, retention, promotion, academic and other programming and business activities or enterprises; and creative and inspiring plans for future initiatives, particularly plans developed with cross-unit partners, and which illustrate innovative approaches. The award includes a $10,000 prize.
2023 UPSIDE Award Winner
Office of Faculty Diversity & Development and Office of Health Sciences Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
These offices were honored for their leadership of “Race & ...,” an intensive, multi-disciplinary effort to increase partic- ipation, education, research, and outreach to, and by, minorities, wom- en, and other under-represented groups. The work has included strong progress in recruitment and retention of Black, Hispanic, and Latinx faculty and staff; as well as the organization of the ongoing “Race & ... ” Lecture Series; the “Race & ... ” Research Collaboratories; the annual Race@Work summer retreat; and the “Race & ...” Conference.
2022 UPSIDE Award Winner
University Art Gallery
2021 UPSIDE Award Winner
Center on Race and Social Problems
Previous Winners