Joyce McConnell Award for Outstanding Feminist Leadership

Due date for all honors, scholarships, and awards:
This award is named after Joyce McConnell, who served as dean of the WVU College of Law from 2008 to 2014, as provost of WVU from 2014-2019 and in 2019 became the first female president of Colorado State University on its 150th anniversary. As dean of the College of Law, Joyce McConnell faced the Great Recession of 2008, a sharp national decline in law-school enrollment but persevered to expand clinical and interdisciplinary legal education focused both on social justice and sustainable development. To house new programs and make the law school a 21st Century facility, she added a wing dedicated to experiential legal education and redesigned the existing building.  As provost, she led WVU during a period of significant transition for West Virginia University, economic crisis in the state of West Virginia, soul-searching across higher education, and political and cultural upheaval for our nation.  McConnell has consistently spoken to and for the faculty of WVU on such thorny and critical topics as free speech and diversity.  In the face of these challenges, McConnell led WVU forward with several social justice initiatives, including improving Title IX enforcement, particularly focused on sexual assault and violence against women; and strengthening accessibility services for differently abled students, staff and faculty.  Focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion, McConnell created an LGBTQ+ Center, Women’s Resource Center and incorporated the ADVANCE Center into the Provost’s Office.  Working to improve public education and economic opportunity in WV, she oversaw the WV Public Education Collaborative, the Center for Excellence in STEM Education, WV Forward, and the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem.  In summary, this award recognizes the feminist principles of social and economic empowerment, diversity, equity and inclusion.

 Apply, go to this link:   https://wvu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_01J92loD2Jrwgrb