The Cal Poly Institutional Excellence Awards are open and available to all campus and community members who are interested, regardless of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin.
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Institutional Excellence Awards
Cal Poly’s Institutional Excellence Awards, previously known as the President’s Diversity Awards, recognize members of the faculty, staff, and student communities, as well as a registered student organization and a department, association, or program whose contributions strengthen the university. Learn more about the award criteria and nomination process below.
Award for Advancing Culture, Equity and Belonging
This award recognizes faculty, staff, students, registered student organizations, and departments or groups who demonstrate a sustained commitment to advancing campus climate, equity in practice, accessibility, and a strong sense of belonging across the university. Recipients will have shown meaningful leadership and impact through teaching, scholarship, service, programming, policy development, or community engagement that strengthens an inclusive and representative Cal Poly community where all individuals are supported, valued, and able to thrive.
Award Criteria
A committee selected by the Department of Culture and Institutional Excellence will review nominations using the criteria below, with strong nominations demonstrating meaningful impact in one or more of the following areas:
Advancing equitable practices and opportunities
Demonstrates leadership in identifying and addressing barriers that affect participation, success, or opportunity for students, faculty, or staff.
Fostering a culture of belonging and community
Contributes to creating environments where diverse identities, perspectives, and lived experiences are respected and where individuals feel welcomed, supported, and empowered to contribute.
Promoting accessibility, inclusive design, and disability inclusion
Implements practices, programs, spaces, or learning environments that expand accessibility and ensure meaningful participation for people of all abilities, while recognizing disability as an important dimension of diversity and working to reduce structural and attitudinal barriers that impact disabled members of the community.
Strengthening engagement, learning, and collaboration
Creates opportunities for dialogue, education, mentorship, or partnership that help build understanding and strengthen relationships across campus communities.
Demonstrating meaningful and sustained impact
Contributes to lasting improvements in campus culture, practices, or systems that support equity, access, and belonging.
Recipients of this award exemplify how individual and collective leadership can help advance a culture of excellence at Cal Poly where equity, access, and belonging are reflected in both values and practice.
In addition to these awards, the Institutional Excellence Award Selection Committee will review all nominations and select the awardee, who will receive this year’s Dolores Huerta "Si Se Puede" Award for Transformational Leadership in recognition of their leadership, integrity, compassion, and unwavering commitment to equity and social justice.
Submit a Nomination
All award winners will be recognized at the annual event on Thurs, May 7th from 10:00 am to 11:30 am at the PAC Lobby and Plaza. Open to the Solano and SLO campus community.
Nominations will be closed on Friday, April 10, at 11:59 PM.
Click here to view the 2025 and previous President's Diversity Award winners
