Nominations Open for 2025 Larine Y. Cowan Make a Difference Awards
The Larine Y. Cowan Make a Difference Awards are open for nominations with a deadline of May 23, 2025. The awards celebrate the achievements of faculty, academic professionals, and civic service employees who made significant contributions in creating and sustaining an inclusive living, learning, and working community at Illinois.
There are four categories open for nominations.
- Advocacy for LGBTQ Affairs, honoring students, staff, or faculty who have demonstrated their commitment to supporting and promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) affairs at Illinois. LGBTQ Affairs Nomination Form.
- Excellence in Access and Accommodations, honoring individuals or campus units for their efforts to expand and improve the utilization of programs and structures by persons with disabilities. Access and Accommodations Nomination Form.
- Leadership in Diversity, honoring nominees who demonstrate exceptional dedication to and success in promoting diversity and inclusion via research, hiring practices, courses, programs, and events. Leadership in Diversity Nomination Form.
- Teaching and Mentoring in Diversity, honoring faculty, instructors, or lecturers who have consistently contributed to the promotion of understanding critical issues related to diversity and equity in teaching and/or the mentoring of diverse students. Teaching and Mentoring in Diversity Nomination Form.
The Larine Y. Cowan Awards are presented annually to University of Illinois faculty and staff by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in four categories: Advocacy for LGBTQ Affairs, Excellence in Access & Accommodations, Leadership in Diversity, and Teaching and Mentoring in Diversity.
Named in honor of the past Assistant Chancellor and Director of what is now the Office for Access & Equity, the Larine Y. Cowan Awards were created to reflect the commitment to human rights advocacy, social justice, and diversity that defined her leadership for nearly 20 years at Illinois.
Nominations may be submitted by any member of the University community. For more information on the nomination process, please visit the Larine Y. Cowan Award page.
The Cowan Awards are presented each year during the annual Celebration of Diversity hosted by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.