Over the years, these awards have recognized faculty at all career stages, representing a broad range of disciplines, issue areas and collaborations. We welcome anyone interested in nominating a faculty member whose work exemplifies the spirit of these awards to review the process outlined below.

The Howard R. Swearer Engaged Faculty Awards honor faculty who have integrated community engagement intentionally and effectively into their scholarly identity and work. Their engagement may occur in their teaching, research or both, as well as in mentoring and leadership with students and colleagues. Since faculty positions at Brown vary in their focus and expectations, the key factor is the quality of community partnerships and outcomes. Nominees may also note their plans for future engagement in their narrative.

Nominations will be reviewed for a record of achievement in their area(s) of research and/or teaching appropriate to their position and career stage, based on the following criteria: 

• Demonstration of strong community partnerships in their teaching and/or research (e.g., collaboration with community partners throughout the research process from defining research questions through analysis and dissemination)
• Evidence of benefit for students and community stakeholders
• Effective community-engaged pedagogy that produces high-impact, collaborative learning experiences addressing major social issues; please note any recurring courses, as well as any carrying the Community-Based Learning and Research designation (if applicable)
• Contributions to knowledge in their field(s) of inquiry through relevant scholarly publications, conference presentations, performances, and/or public communications (if applicable)
• Mentoring of students interested in community engagement/engaged scholarship (if applicable)
• Leadership and/or active participation in efforts by departments, center, programs, initiatives, associations or other groups to enhance capacity, practices and policies related to engaged scholarship (if applicable)

Recipients’ work will reflect the university’s Community Engagement Agenda, guiding principles for collaboration, liberal learning goals and commitments to positive societal impact in Rhode Island and beyond.

These awards may serve as a springboard for nominations to national awards such as the Ernest A. Lynton Award for the Scholarship of Engagement for Early Career Faculty and the Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award.

All faculty (including tenured and tenure-track faculty, lecturers, medical faculty, adjuncts, visiting faculty, and postdoctoral fellows) at Brown during the current academic year who also expect to stay at the university in the following academic year are eligible for the Engaged Faculty Award. Faculty affiliated with the School of Public Health might also consider a nomination for the SPH Dean’s Award for Excellence in Community Engagement, which is awarded annually each spring semester. 

One of the two annual awards will be given to an early-career faculty member, defined to include both tenure-track faculty who are not yet tenured (and have not submitted their materials for tenure before the nomination deadline) and non-tenure-track faculty who have worked in academia for no more than 7 years. The second annual award is open to faculty who are tenured at Brown or have worked in academia for more than 7 years. Recognizing the centrality of diversity, equity, and inclusion to community engagement, we encourage faculty whose scholarship directly addresses these issues to highlight that work in their nomination materials.