Award List
To submit a nomination, click here. Nominations will be accepted through March 24 (nominations for the Grace Mann Launch Award are due March 16).
Individual Student Awards
Leader in Service
This award recognizes a freshman, sophomore, or junior who has demonstrated exceptional commitment to community service, either locally, regionally, nationally, or globally. The student must have demonstrated outstanding initiative in planning, organizing, and executing community service activities, while also demonstrating the ability to cooperate with other organizations, either on or off campus.
Elizabeth M. Baumgarten Service Award
Elizabeth “Liz” Baumgarten Heagy was committed to service as a student here at UMW and helped found Community Outreach and Resources (COAR). This award is given to a graduating senior for outstanding service to the university and community.
Grace Mann Launch Award
The Grace Mann Launch award is given to a graduating senior who is active while at UMW in organizations that promote social justice and equality, social change and/or advocates for victims of sexual assault or prejudice, and who exemplifies a commitment to improving the lives of others through the change of attitudes, behaviors, laws, policies, or institutions; and who is planning to pursue a career in support of those goals and promote equality and/or advocate for victims.
James Farmer Defining A Legacy Award
The late Dr. James Leonard Farmer was born on January 12th, 1920 in Texas. His first remembered experience of racial discrimination was when he was 3 ½ years old, when he asked his mom to buy a Coca-Cola, she told him they could not go in the store because they were “colored.” He was brilliant and well-spoken, enrolling at Wiley College at the age of 14.
Dr. Farmer dedicated his life to Civil Rights activism and was the founder of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) in 1942 after graduating from Howard University. In 1961, Farmer tested the integration of buses and bus terminals with his infamous Freedom Rides project. He was then determined as one of the Civil Rights’ ‘big six,’ which includes Martin Luther King Jr., Representative John Lewis, Dorothy Height, Whitney Young, and Roy Wilkins.
Farmer asserted before his passing that the issue of inclusion and equality for black Americans is even harder in a contemporary setting, it is for this reason we reflect on his legacy. The Civil Rights Movement in American memory shows the stratification of the movement into two parts, “between South and North, nonviolence and Black Power militancy, de facto and de jure segregation, and the movement before 1965 and after.” Dr. James Farmer complicated this idea, however, by challenging this expectation by straddling ideas and reassessing his positions over time. This award is awarded to a student, staff, or faculty member who creates a direct action project, overcomes a substantial obstacle, challenges an oppressive system, and spreads their cause.
Alex Naden Award
Alex Naden was a senior class officer who graduated from Mary Washington College in 2003. He was a member of the Rugby team, Giant, and worked in the Underground. But to list Alex’s accomplishments and believe that they convey him is to do him a disservice. What made Alex so special was who he was, not what he did. He made every person he spoke with feel special. He was authentic, he was funny, he was warm and caring, he was an amazing communicator and he always had a smile on his face and a ton of energy committed to everything he did. He lost his life in April 2003 as a result of a car accident. In his honor, we present this award to those who best embody the character that Alex so willingly and exceptionally personified. (This award may be awarded to a student of any class not just seniors).
Prince Woodard Emerging Leader Award
This award is for individuals who have stepped up and taken on leading roles in their organization. It is limited to freshmen, sophomores, and juniors only. Eligibility is not limited to titled positions. Nominees for this award can be from SGA, another governance body (ex. Honor Council, Student Conduct Review Board), or any club or student organization. Students have to show tremendous leadership capacity or ability in their organization. Examples include helping to plan successful programming or events that benefited the club, organization, or campus as a whole. The student must maintain a 3.25 GPA or higher to be eligible for this award. The winner will receive a monetary award.
Prince Woodard Outstanding Leader Award
This is awarded to a graduating senior belonging to any campus organization who has demonstrated outstanding leadership skills while involved in the organization. Nominees for this award can be from any campus club or organization and did need to have held a formal leadership position. The member has been instrumental in helping the organization work towards its mission as well as help plan and conduct successful programming. This is the highest leadership award and therefore the individual’s contribution must have been exceptional to be considered. The student must maintain a 3.25 GPA or higher to be eligible for this award. The winner will receive a monetary award.
Unsung Hero
This award recognizes a student whose actions positively impacted their club, organization or the university while a member, but not serving in a formal leadership position. This award focuses on students who took the initiative throughout the year to help their club or group achieve their goals from behind the scenes. This award can be given to any student, regardless of class year.
Life After Mary Washington Champion Award
The winner of this award should be a living example of the well-rounded, career-ready and passionate Mary Washington student. Through their academics, extracurricular activities and campus involvement, this person demonstrates the everyday practice of the 10 competencies identified to make a student ready to thrive in their Life After Mary Washington. This student should be highly engaged and motivated to learn, grow and inspire others through their professional pursuits. This award can be given to juniors and seniors.
Cedric Rucker Eagle Beyond Compare
This award will be given to an outstanding member of our UMW community–to any student, staff, or faculty member–who exemplifies the values and ideals that our community holds most sacred. Prior to his retirement, Dean Cedric Rucker was the epitome of the Mary Washington spirit with dedication to living authentically, to the fierce pursuit of knowledge, and to move through the world with integrity and with the spirit of goodwill to all.
Executive Board Member of the Year
Honors an outstanding student leader who has demonstrated excellence in their executive role within a club or organization. This individual exemplifies responsibility, initiative, collaboration, and dedication to their organization’s mission. Their leadership has strengthened their group and positively influenced fellow members.
Organization Member of the Year
Recognizes a general body member who has shown exceptional dedication, involvement, and enthusiasm. This individual consistently supports their organization’s mission, contributes positively to its culture, and demonstrates reliability and initiative without necessarily holding an executive position.
General body member of a registered student organization—CANNOT hold a formal leadership role/title in the organization.
Student Employee of the Year (Manager Role)
Recognizes a student employee in a managerial or supervisory role who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, professionalism, and dedication. This student not only ensures tasks are completed efficiently but also mentors and motivates their team, fosters a positive work environment, and takes initiative to improve processes. Their leadership strengthens their department and leaves a lasting impact on peers and the campus community.
Current student employee serving in a managerial or supervisory role (e.g., team lead, shift supervisor, student coordinator).
Student Employee of the Year
Honors a student employee who consistently goes above and beyond in their role, demonstrating reliability, initiative, and a positive attitude. This student contributes meaningfully to their workplace, supports colleagues, and helps their department succeed. Their dedication, professionalism, and teamwork make them an invaluable part of the campus community.
Faculty/Staff Award
Life After Mary Washington Champion Award
UMW students are guided and inspired by their mentors on campus. The winner of this award has been an advocate to undergraduate students, going above and beyond to provide meaningful, high-impact learning beyond the classroom. From facilitating professional connections to an advisee to serving as a sponsor for an internship, the winner of this award should be someone who has a proven track record of investing their time, energy and resources into developing Mary Washington students’ proficiency with the 10 competencies, preparing them for the professional world and being a champion for their success in their Life After Mary Washington.
Gwen Hale Giving Tree Award
Any current faculty or staff member who is actively involved with the student body of the University of Mary Washington is eligible for this award. The faculty or staff member must be nominated by a student currently enrolled at the University of Mary Washington. The faculty/staff member’s role can be, but is not limited to, an advisor to a student organization, a mentor to students, a speaker, or participant in a student organization program. In 2022, the Eagle Awards Committee renamed the Giving Tree Award in honor of Dr. Gwen Hale who passed away in October 2021. Dr. Hale continues to touch the lives of our students and always showed her dedication to enhancing the quality of student life at UMW, served as a role-model for students AND a resource for the UMW community, and was a dedicated advocate for students.
NOTE: While a faculty/staff member can be nominated every year, they can only receive the award once every four years.
Advisor of the Year Award
Recognizes a faculty or staff advisor who has demonstrated exceptional commitment to mentoring and supporting a student organization. This advisor goes beyond basic responsibilities to empower student leaders, provide thoughtful guidance, and advocate for student success. Through consistency, care, and collaboration, they help their organization thrive while fostering meaningful student growth.
Must be a current UMW faculty or staff advisor to a registered student organization.
Mentor of the Year Award
Honors an individual who has made a lasting impact through intentional mentorship and leadership development. This recipient invests time and energy into guiding others, offering encouragement, accountability, and wisdom that helps students grow both personally and professionally. Their influence extends beyond tasks or titles and reflects a genuine commitment to lifting others up.
Open to any advisor, faculty, or staff member.
Awards Determined by the Alumni Association
Bachelor of Liberal Studies (BLS) Award
This award recognizes a student enrolled in the BLS program for academic excellence as well as outstanding citizenship. (The awardee is selected by a separate committee after eligible students are offered the opportunity to apply by the Alumni Office. This includes BLS Degree candidates who have at least 30 credit hours at UMW and at least a 3.2 GPA.)
Program Awards
Outstanding Diversity Program
This award recognizes an event put on by a club or organization that takes the lead in educating the campus community on issues related to diversity. This includes but is not limited to issues pertaining to women, racial/cultural issues, religion, gender and sexuality. The program should be unique, creative, marketed effectively, and successful in terms of its impact to the campus community beyond the organization’s own members.
The Clara Boyd Wheeler Outstanding Community Service Program
This award recognizes an organization’s involvement in a philanthropic activity or event that positively affects a targeted cause either locally or globally. The specific program may be held on or off campus and should relate to the organization’s mission. It is preferred that the activity had a notable impact on the organization and its members that continued throughout the year.
Outstanding Educational Program
This award recognizes an educational program that successfully engaged the campus community in learning about a topic connected to the organization’s mission in a creative, accessible, and appealing way. Educational experiences may take many forms and are not limited to lectures or guest speakers. Programs that incorporate interactive activities, peer-to-peer engagement, dialogue, immersive experiences, or other informal learning approaches are equally encouraged. Strong nominees will demonstrate meaningful impact beyond the organization’s own members and contribute to learning across the broader campus community.
Outstanding Large Program (100+ Attendees)
Recognizes an exceptional large-scale event that demonstrated strong planning, marketing, execution, and campus engagement. This program attracted significant participation and created a memorable experience that contributed positively to campus life.
Outstanding Small Program (<100 Attendees)
Recognizes an impactful smaller-scale event that demonstrated thoughtful planning, creativity, and meaningful engagement. While more intimate in size, this program fostered connection, depth of experience, and intentional impact.
Outstanding Overall Achievement for a Club or Organization (<15 members)
Recognizes a small organization that has demonstrated exceptional effectiveness, engagement, and impact over the past year. Despite a smaller membership size, this group maximizes its resources, fosters strong internal leadership, and contributes meaningfully to campus life through programming, service, advocacy, or community building.
Outstanding Overall Achievement for a Club or Organization ( 15+ members)
Recognizes a large organization that has demonstrated excellence in leadership, programming, operations, and member engagement. This group effectively manages its size and resources while creating meaningful experiences and making a substantial impact on the campus community.
Innovation Award
Honors a club or organization that has demonstrated creativity and forward-thinking in its programming, leadership, or operations. This group introduced new ideas, reimagined traditions, or implemented unique strategies that enhanced member engagement or campus involvement. The Innovation Award celebrates risk-taking, adaptability, and visionary thinking.
Collaboration Award
Honors two or more organizations that partnered to create a successful and meaningful initiative. This award celebrates teamwork, shared vision, and the ability to build connections across campus communities. The collaboration demonstrated intentional planning, equitable partnership, and a combined impact greater than any one group could have achieved alone.
Outstanding New Program
This award looks to recognize a new program or event that has taken place for the first time within this academic year. It recognizes success in both quality (including the type of program and topic/theme) and quantity (attendance). The program should be unique, creative, marketed effectively, and successful in terms of its impact to the campus community beyond the organization’s own members. This program could have been recurring or a one-time event and ideally filled a gap in programming needs on campus.
Organizations Awards
Outstanding New Club
This award is only open to student organizations who have been recognized for no more than two academic years, but have been able to quickly build membership and become a known presence and have a positive impact on campus through its successful marketing, activities and programs. It recognizes success in both quality and quantity of activities, as well as establishing relationships with other organizations and departments. This award is open to all clubs and organizations including sports clubs.
NOTE: The previous year’s award recipient is not eligible for this year.