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IMPACT Awards

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DA Global IMPACT Awards Nominations

Nominations for the 2025 DA Global IMPACT Awards have closed. Thank you for your nominations.

Each year, DA Global celebrates institutions, organizations, and individuals who have developed innovative practices and strategies that leverage global education to advance student success. Awardees will be announced at the Global Impact Conference, DA Global’s annual conference.

Institutional/Organizational Awards

DA Global’s IMPACT Awards for organizations and institutions highlight outstanding achievements of members who have developed innovative practices and strategies that leverage access to global education to advance student achievemt, workforce readiness, and organizational impact.

Like the Global Impact Conference, the awards seek to recognize individuals who are embody the DA Global IMPACT framework.

I – Inclusion & Innovation

Advance innovative solutions to achieve inclusive access to global education’s benefits.

M – Mentorship & Support

Provide exceptional guidance and advocacy for international and domestic students.

P – Personal & Professional Growth

Cultivate resilience, leadership, and lifelong learning.

A – Academic & Career Success

Power academic and career success through access to global education opportunities.

C – Collaboration

Strengthen home campus and international networks for student and institutional success.

T – Transformational Leadership

Develop and empower professionals to drive meaningful impact in a dynamic international education sector.

The awards recognize innovation and excellence in the following categories:

 

Examples may include but aren’t limited to scalable mobility models, cross-campus collaboration to embed global learning, mentorship programs, or initiatives that expand access and prepare students for diverse global environments.

Outbound Mobility

This award recognizes institutions that design and implement innovative, inclusive, and student-centered outbound mobility programs. These institutions integrate global opportunities into the academic journey and personal development of students, ensuring meaningful engagement with the world. Through intentional program design, comprehensive and inclusive advising, and strategic partnerships, they ensure all students, particularly those historically underserved, have access to global mobility programs and can translate such experiences into long-term academic and career success.

Examples may include but aren’t limited to scalable mobility models, cross-campus collaboration to embed global learning, mentorship programs, or initiatives that expand access and prepare students for diverse global environments.

Global Engagement at Home

This award honors institutions that provide impactful, accessible global learning opportunities for students who remain on campus or within their local communities. Through virtual exchanges, curricular innovation, and community-based programs, these institutions foster cross-cultural engagement and global competency development for all students—regardless of travel ability.

Examples may include local partnerships, interdisciplinary global learning initiatives, or co-curricular experiences that promote belonging and broaden students’ worldviews.

International Education Employer of the Year

This award recognizes international education units (offices) and organizations in the international education sector that demonstrate exceptional commitment to increasing access to the field and building inclusive workplaces. These employers intentionally embed diverse perspectives into their team structures, policies, and culture—creating environments where employees across roles and backgrounds feel valued, supported, and empowered to grow. Through thoughtful recruitment, professional development, and retention strategies, these organizations set a standard for inclusive talent practices that reflect the core values of international education.

Examples may include intentional hiring pipelines, mentorship initiatives, ongoing learning opportunities, or organizational policies that promote staff well-being and long-term professional growth in the field.

International Student Success

How are universities and colleges supporting their academic success as well as personal and professional growth of international students? This award recognizes excellence, at the institutional/organizational level, in fostering a climate of belonging that supports international students as integral members of the campus community and encourages meaningful interactions among all students.

Organizational/Institutional Champion

The Champion Award recognizes an institution/organization that exemplifies the vision and ideals of DA Global to support access for all students to the benefits of global education. The institution/organization who receives this award will be recognized as a leader within the field of international education and cultural exchange in championing student success, workforce readiness, and organizational impact through in global education on a broad scale.

Selected by a review committee of professional representing diverse perspectives, the DA Global IMPACT Awards are unique in their focus on recognizing exemplary practices at the institutional/organizational level that leverage access to global education to achieve student and institutional success. The institutional/organizational awards are open to educational institutions (e.g., institutions of higher education, post-secondary institutions) and international education organizations (e.g., associations, education abroad providers, fellowship programs, foundations, etc) both in the U.S. and abroad.

Recipients of the DA Global IMPACT Award should have at least one institutional/organizational representative registered for the Global Impact Conference.

Nomination Process

All the nominations include:

  • A completed online nomination form.
  • A brief description (approx. 600 words) of the institution or organization’s collective efforts based on the nomination award type (see descriptions above). Applicants should include outcomes, statistics, testimonials, and other data that exemplify how their efforts have improved access and opportunities for these student populations.
  • A letter of support from the institution’s Chief Academic Officer, Provost, President or Chancellor.

NOTE: Nominees for institutional/organizational awards must be a DA Global Member.

Individual Professional Awards

The DA Global IMPACT Awards also recognize the outstanding advancements and achievements of individual administrators, faculty or staff in the U.S. and abroad who have made significant contributions to advancing student and professional success through global education.

Rising Star Award (2-10 years)
This award is open to professionals in the U.S. and abroad who are at the beginning stages of their career and who have made significant contributions to:
  • Belonging in the Workplace: Advance practices and policies that increase professional access to the field of international education and promote a climate of belonging in the workplace.
  • Leverage Global Opportunities as a Driver to Success: Promote global education as a driver of academic achievement, personal growth, and workforce readiness.
  • Broaden Access to Global Education: Champion trategies that ensure all students have access to the benefits of global education.
Trailblazer Award (10+)
This award is open to administrators, faculty or staff in the U.S. and abroad who have made significant contributions to:
  • Belonging in the Workplace: Advance practices and policies that increase professional access to the field of international education and promote a climate of belonging in the workplace.
  • Leverage Global Opportunities as a Driver to Success:Promote global education as a driver of academic achievement, personal growth, and workforce readiness.
  • Broaden Access to Global Education: Champion trategies that ensure all students have access to the benefits of global education.
Executive Leader Award
This award recognizes the leadership of an individual who has made it an institutional priority to elevate access to international education for all across campus.
A successful nominee will have made significant contributions, through strategic planning, fundraising, setting institutional goals and otherwise, that have supported all students having access to global educational opportunities as well as the expansion of the institution’s international initiatives.
Note: Nominees for this award category must presently hold a position as President, Chancellor (or equivalent) of a higher education institution in the U.S. and abroad.
Inclusive Excellence in Teaching Award
This award is open to faculty (of any rank or status), instructors, or others who has developed and offered education abroad programming in an inclusive manner. Individuals are working to ensure that all students are supported through the curriculum and teaching practices is critical to student success and participation in global learning opportunities. Examples may include the curriculum they designed and/or practices they employ on-site to ensure an inclusive learning environment for all students.

Applicants may be nominated by a colleague or may self-nominate.

Recipients of the IMPACT Awards are encouraged to register at least one institutional/organizational representative for the Global Impact Conference.

Nomination Process

All the nominations include:

  • A completed online nomination form.
  • A brief description (approx. 600 words) of the individual’s contributions to advancing student success through access to global educational opportunities. Applicants should outline career and professional highlights and may include additional letters of reference or materials that exemplify the individual’s efforts.
  • A resume highlighting the applicant’s qualifications.

NOTE: Nominees for individual awards must be affiliated with a DA Global Member institution/organization.

Individual Student Awards

The Global Student Leadership Awards highlights the passion and commitment of students at the undergraduate and graduate level. Awardees are particularly known on their campuses for embodying the mission and vision of DA Global by advocating for global education in their communities; engaging in research contributing to our understanding of global education’s impact on student success; and/or innovative social impact programming.

Global Student Leadership Award - Graduate

The award is open to one graduate student at DA Global Member institution who has participated in a global education experience.

Awardees have made significant contributions to increasing awareness of and access to global opportunities for all students, but particularly those underrepresented in international education, at their home institution through academic, research, community and/or campus engagement activities.

Graduate nominees are encouraged to register for the Global Impact Conference by the end of the Early Bird Registration period.

Global Student Leadership Award - Undergraduate

The award is open to one undergraduate student at DA Global Member institution who has participated in a global education experience.

Awardees have made significant contributions to increasing awareness of and access to global opportunities for all students, but particularly those underrepresented in international education, at their home institution through academic, research, community and/or campus engagement activities.

Undergraduate nominees are encouraged to attend the Global Student Leadership Summit (GSLS).

Applicants may be nominated by a supervisor, other campus-based contact, or provider program representative.

Student recipients of the DA Global Impact Award are encouraged to register for the Global Student Leadership Summit or the Global Impact Conference.

Nomination Process

All the nominations include:

  • A completed online nomination form.
  • A brief description (approx. 600 words) of the student’s contributions to advance student success through access to global educational opportunities. Applicants should outline highlights based on the descriptions above and may include additional letters of reference or materials that exemplify the individual’s efforts.

NOTE: Nominees for student awards must be affiliated with a DA Global Member institution/organization.