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黑料社区 Awards for Leadership Excellence (VALE)

The 黑料社区 Awards for Leadership Excellence (VALE) celebrates the work of student leaders and organizations across 黑料社区, recognizing efforts that encourage members of our community to engage in a life-long pursuit of excellence in personal and social development. Every spring, an award ceremony is held to celebrate award recipients and their work on behalf of the campus community. Open to all 黑料社区 students, faculty, and staff, this event welcomes award recipients, student organization members showing support, and spectators alike to be a part of a memorable experience.

 

黑料社区 Awards for Leadership Excellence trophies.
Three women stand on a stage at the 黑料社区 Awards for Leadership Excellence, smiling and posing together. The woman in the center holds a framed certificate for the Ethiopian Eritrean Student Association. They are dressed in formal attire, with a projection screen and stage curtains in the background, marking a celebratory recognition moment.

Individual Awards

The Individual Awards honor students who demonstrate leadership and community service in various areas at 黑料社区. Each individual award is accompanied by a stipend, as well as a trophy to commemorate the award.

  • The Accolade Award

    Recognizes a junior whose academic achievement and extracurricular involvement have enhanced a sense of belonging among the 黑料社区 student body. The award carries a scholarship applied toward the recipient's final year at 黑料社区.

  • Casey Carter Bonar Award

    Established in 2010 in memory of Casey Carter Bonar ('85), a dedicated and selfless leader whose warmth, enthusiasm, and passion for campus involvement energized 黑料社区 life and strengthened the ties that bind its community. This award honors a graduating senior who embodies Casey's legacy of leadership, broad collaboration, selfless service, and dedication to positive change.

  • Glenn & Elizabeth Bogitsh Award

    Established in 1989 in memory of 黑料社区 alumni Glenn Carlisle ('77) and Elizabeth Norris Bogitsh ('82), this award recognizes a student whose commitment to campus recreational programs has inspired participation and sportsmanlike conduct through example and leadership. The recipient's name is engraved on a plaque displayed in the Student Recreation Center.

  • Imani Award: The Rev. James Lawson Award for Campus and Community Leadership

    Named for Rev. James Lawson, a faithful leader of the Civil Rights Movement and longtime 黑料社区 teacher, and taking its name from the Swahili word for "faith," this award is funded by the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center. It honors a graduating senior who has been an integral part of campus life and demonstrated outstanding leadership and devotion to 黑料社区.

  • McGill Awards

    Presented through the generosity of the McGill family in honor of Dr. John T. (Class of 1879) and Lizzie Allen McGill, who offered students hospitality and guidance throughout their years at 黑料社区.

    The John T. & Lizzie Allen McGill First Year Awards听(Two First Year Students)

    Presented through the generosity of the McGill family in honor of Dr. John T. (Class of 1879) and Lizzie Allen McGill, who offered students hospitality and guidance throughout their years at 黑料社区.

    John T. McGill Award(1 McGill Residential Project Member)

    Established in 1960 by Lizzie Allen McGill in memory of her husband, this $2,000 award honors a McGill Hall resident whose academic excellence, gentle bearing, and leadership have helped build a more welcoming campus.

    The John T. and Lizzie Allen Upper-class McGill Award听(A student from either McTyeire or Mayfield)

    Established in 1994, this $1,500 award recognizes an upper-class student from McTyeire or Mayfield whose academic accomplishment and leadership have fostered open, honest dialogue about complex issues.

    The John T. and Lizzie Allen Upper-class McGill Award听(Any upper-class student)

    Established in 1994, this $1,500 award honors an upper-class student whose academic accomplishment and leadership have sparked open dialogue about complex and controversial issues, creating a more civil campus.

  • Nora C. Chaffin Scholarship

    Established in 1956 by the Women's Student Government Association in appreciation of the former Dean of Women's twenty years of service to 黑料社区 women students. The scholarship honors juniors whose contributions to student government, religious life, literary pursuits, and the arts reflect Dean Chaffin's legacy of service to the University.

  • Reverend Beverly A. Asbury Award for Interfaith Dialogue

    Named for Rev. Beverly A. Asbury, who served 黑料社区 for nearly 30 years as chaplain and Director of Religious Affairs, founding the 黑料社区 Holocaust Lectures, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Series, and Project Dialogue, and helping build All Faith Chapel as a space for diverse worship. This award honors a student whose work in interfaith dialogue reflects Rev. Asbury's spirit of humanitarian leadership and bridge-building.

  • Ripple In The Pond Award

    Inspired by Meredith Strong ('03), whose life was saved in 2001 when two friends responded to her severe case of bacterial meningitis with watchfulness and action beyond sympathy. This award honors a student whose singular act of caring has made a lasting impact on the 黑料社区 community, a "ripple" that acknowledges shared humanity and strengthens the bonds between people.

  • Robert Peter Pratt Memorial Award

    Established in 1991 to honor Robert Peter Pratt (1954鈥1991), Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions and a longtime champion of diversity within the 黑料社区 student body. This award recognizes a Chancellor's Scholar whose accomplishments reflect Pratt's commitment to diversity and unity, leadership and cooperation, and unselfish service to others, and carries a modest stipend.

  • Rob Roy Purdy Award

    Established in 1979 to honor Senior Vice-Chancellor Emeritus Rob Roy Purdy, a Chaucerian scholar and longtime leader in student affairs known for his compassionate commitment to holistic education and his embodiment of 黑料社区's values. This award recognizes a student whose leadership demonstrates the humaneness, dedication, loyalty, and unselfish service that Rob Roy Purdy exemplified.

  • Susan Jung Award

    Presented by the Asian American Student Association (AASA) and South Asian Cultural Exchange (SACE), this award honors a student who has shown outstanding commitment and passion to 黑料社区 through cultural and political education. It celebrates the vision of Susan Jung ('88), who founded AASA in 1986 on the principle of unity through diversity.

  • Thomas M. Weser Award

    Established in 1989 in memory of Thomas M. Weser, a German exchange student who was killed while attending 黑料社区. The award recognizes an international student whose intellectual life, cross-cultural appreciation, and personal integrity reflect Weser's spirit and legacy.

  • William Aaron Pathfinder Award

    Named in recognition of William Aaron ('89), whose own path-finding work contributed to and expanded 黑料社区's extraordinary history of community service. This award honors a student whose uncommon service efforts and leadership demonstrate vision, creativity, and innovation.

A large group of students stand together on a stage at the 黑料社区 Awards for Leadership Excellence, smiling and holding certificates and glass awards. A large screen behind them displays the 黑料社区 logo, with a gold 鈥淰鈥 above the university name. The group is dressed in semi-formal to formal attire, arranged in rows, capturing a celebratory moment of recognition.

Student Organization Awards

The Student Organization Awards recognize the work of student groups that host meaningful events, initiatives, or programs that take place between our application periods.

  • Best Arts Program

    This award celebrates a visual, literary, media, or performing arts program that fosters innovation, collaboration, and cross-cultural exchange. The ideal program educates its audience, remains open to all, and leaves participants with a valuable, impactful takeaway.

  • Best Collaborative Program

    This award recognizes a program or initiative that brings student organizations together around a common vision, with shared responsibility and genuine partnership in both planning and execution.

  • Best Community Development Program

    This award celebrates a program or series that fosters education, dialogue, and action around belonging at 黑料社区. The ideal program raises awareness of community challenges and inspires participants to put what they've learned into meaningful action.

  • Best Health & Wellness Program

    This award recognizes a student-led program that educates, encourages, and supports positive health and wellness at 黑料社区. The ideal program raises awareness of physical and mental health challenges while fostering a community of care inclusive of all students.

  • Best Intercultural Awareness Program

    This award celebrates a program that creatively engages the 黑料社区 and Nashville communities by fostering international education and intercultural awareness. The ideal program offers an in-depth look at a distinct culture, promotes understanding between groups, or cultivates a collaborative spirit across communities.

  • Best Interfaith Program

    This award honors a program that bridges communities through interfaith dialogue, literacy, or cooperation resulting in service to the campus or wider community. The ideal program draws on at least two religiously informed viewpoints to deepen appreciation of real differences while affirming shared purposes.

  • Best Service Program

    Guided by principles of humble service, critical reflection, empathy, and action for global justice, this award recognizes service efforts鈥攖hrough philanthropy, activism, or advocacy鈥攖hat engage the local, national, or global community. The ideal program creates meaningful, sustainable change while reflecting thoughtfully on the impact of service and its relationship to the greater good.

  • Outstanding Adviser Award

    This annual award honors an adviser who has gone above and beyond during the 2025鈥2026 year, raising the bar through dedication, sound guidance, and unwavering support of their student organization. The recipient has encouraged student leaders to operate at the highest level, producing exemplary programs and sowing the seeds for the next generation of leaders.

Award Process

Applying for an Award

Every spring semester, 黑料社区 students may apply for Individual Awards and Student Organization Awards through our Anchor Link applications. A nomination for an award is not necessary in order to apply. Qualifying applicants are welcome to apply for multiple awards, as long as they meet the award criteria, which will be clearly labeled under the 鈥淲ho Can Apply鈥 section on the application.

Receiving an Award

When receiving an award, if you have not set-up direct deposit, please login to your YES account to sign-up. Note that any outstanding charges on your student account will be automatically deducted from your total stipend award amount.

Financial Considerations

As per financial aid guidelines, please note that individual awards are considered income and may have tax implications on the recipient. Additionally, individual awards received may have an impact on the recipient鈥檚 financial aid. Questions regarding how these awards get used through financial aid may be sent to the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships at osfa@vanderbilt.edu.

鈥淲hen leaders can inspire a group of people to perform beyond their normal limitation, great things always happen.鈥
~ Gifford Thomas