University of Michigan leaders are encouraging community members across all three campuses to nominate individual faculty members who have demonstrated a commitment to public impact for the president’s awards for public engagement.

Launched in 2017, the President’s Award for National and State Leadership and the President’s Award for Public Impact aim to celebrate faculty public engagement at U-M.

The award for national and state leadership honors an individual who has held leadership and service roles in major national, state, local or community capacities. The recipient will have contributed to the health, resilience and prosperity of the nation, state and society at large, or support a safe global environment. 

Monica Dus, associate professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology in LSA, received last year’s award for her tenure as a White House Fellow and Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy, showcasing extraordinary leadership, spirit of innovation, and unwavering commitment to public service initiatives. Her impactful contributions spanned vital areas such as education reform, mental health advocacy, biosurveillance, and national security.

The award for public impact honors an individual who has offered their academic research and expertise in tangible service of a major public sector challenge. The recipient will have actively addressed significant challenges in society and have used their academic capacity and expertise to combat such threats, in cooperation with governmental and non-governmental stakeholders. 

April M. Zeoli, associate professor of health management and policy in the School of Public Health, received the award last year for the impact of her work as the nation’s leading expert on policy interventions for firearm use in intimate partner violence, and her research that has helped to establish the evidence base for understanding the impact of policies such as Extreme Risk Protection Orders. 

The awards are part of the university’s greater institutional effort to promote and support faculty public engagement. They will be presented in the spring at the President’s Symposium on Research Impact and Policy Leadership, a new event showcasing the work of U-M’s schools and colleges.

“Michigan faculty help shape the world with their research, teaching and service. They are tremendous ambassadors for demonstrating U-M’s commitment to the public good,” said President Domenico Grasso.

Nominations for both awards must be submitted by Dec. 5.

Awardees will be recommended to the president by a committee, appointed by Grasso, that includes members of the faculty, the Office of the Provost, Office of the Vice President for Research and the Office of Government Relations.

The award is open to tenure/tenure-track faculty, research faculty, clinical instructional faculty, librarians, archivists, and curators across all U-M campuses, schools, colleges and units. Individuals at all career stages are eligible.