Eligibility
Applicant must be:
- Affiliated with a Campus Compact member institution
- A senior faculty member (post-tenure or middle- to late-career, if not in a tenure-line appointment)
Selection criteria
Faculty submitted for consideration must demonstrate work in line with the selection criteria:
I. Evidence of deeply-engaged, high-quality academic work
Demonstrated integration of civic and community engagement in one’s teaching, research, and/or service as appropriate to one’s context and roles (this might include, but is not limited to, teaching undergraduate or graduate service-learning courses, conducting community-based participatory research, developing departmental or institutional engagement programs and curricula, and/or studying the impact of public engagement).
II. Evidence of community collaboration and change
Demonstrated commitment and capacity to develop and sustain reciprocal community partnerships and to contribute to positive change on issues of public concern (examples include ongoing work with community members to design, implement, and improve engagement initiatives, recognition of partners as co-educators, evaluation results that show benefits for communities as well as students, support for multifaceted partnerships focused on particular public issues, and research-based collaborations).
III. Evidence of institutional impact
Demonstrated leadership in developing cultures, programs, and/or policies that promote meaningful engagement on one’s campus, within higher education, or in one’s discipline (through, for example, efforts aimed at redesigning curriculum, enhancing faculty development, recognizing engagement in faculty hiring, tenure, and promotion, or fostering common vision and collaboration across units or institutions).
Application requirements
Completed online application that includes the following:
- An essay that specifically addresses the selection criteria.
- A letter of support that describes how your work aligns with the selection criteria for the award.
- A letter of support from a community partner.
- At least one (and no more than three) civic or service-learning course syllabus(i).
- Up to 10 pages of supporting documentation (e.g.,, additional letters of support, press releases, abstracts from grant proposals).
- A current CV or resume with your civic and community engagement work highlighted.
Applicants will be asked to provide a headshot and, if selected, consent to having their photo and syllabus posted on the Campus Compact website. Campus Compact will publish the winner’s submitted syllabus on the Compact website to showcase the work as a fine example of integrating civic engagement and higher education.
Questions? Get in touch at [email protected].
Timeline
For the 2026 Ehrlich Award:
- The online nomination/application form will open September 2, 2025
- The nomination deadline is October 13, 2025
- The application deadline will be October 31, 2025
- The 2026 recipients will be notified in December 2025
- Public announcement: February 2026
- Recognition: at Compact26, March 16 - 18, 2026