Black Faculty and Staff Awards


In collaboration with the Black Faculty and Staff Association and the Office of Alumni Relations, the Black Cultural Center honors faculty and staff who holistically enrich, support, and advocate for Black faculty, staff, trainees, and students through their work on campus and in the community with the Black Cultural Center Faculty and Staff Awards each Black History Month (February).

  • Marcus Garvey Black Star Excellence Award
    The Marcus Garvey Black Star Excellence Award is for new University of Utah faculty and staff who have stepped up to the plate and helped build and broadcast the University of Utah in a positive light.
  • Madam C.J. Walker Resource Award
    The Madam C.J. Walker Resource Award is for individuals who have strengthened community-engaged learning experiences and opportunities tied to civic engagement and fostered stronger partnerships between the local community and the University of Utah.
  • Malcolm X Award of Social Justice
    The Malcolm X Award of Social Justice is for individuals who have fought for justice in terms of the distribution of equal access, opportunities, and privileges within our campus and the greater community and whose body of academic work (e.g., articles, books, creative works) and life promote or exemplify the area of social justice in modern life.
  • Maya Angelou Award of Innovation
    The Maya Angelou Award of innovation is for individuals who have used creativity to develop or improve processes, methods, systems, products, or services and encourage others to do the same. This award is given to those who make innovation a priority among team/faculty members, encourage reasonable and calculated risk-taking, and improve work and personal life at the University of Utah.
  • James McCune Smith Award of Veneration
    The James McCune Award of Veneration is for individuals who are awe-inspiring examples of dignity, wisdom, dedication, and excellence at the University of Utah.
  • Minnijean Brown Award of Virtue
    The Minnijean Brown Award of Virtue is for undergraduate and graduate student-workers at the University of Utah who have balanced school work, life transitions, and/or job responsibilities all while building community and broadcasting the university in a positive light.