Clery Center Accepting Entries for New Campus Safety Impact Award
The award recognizes higher education programs or initiatives that demonstrate innovation, collaboration, and equity in improving campus safety.
FORT WASHINGTON, Penn. — Clery Center, a national nonprofit dedicated to helping college and university officials meet the standards of the Jeanne Clery Act through training and resources, announces it’s accepting nominations for its new Campus Safety Impact Award.
The Campus Safety Impact Award highlights a program or initiative at an institution of higher education that demonstrates innovation, collaboration, and equity in enhancing safety on campus, according to the organization. All nominated programs/initiatives must have been implemented at an institution of higher education between 2018 and 2023.
“Frequently, our attention is drawn solely to the negative headlines concerning campus safety, such as tragic incidents and institutional shortcomings. We developed the Campus Safety Impact Award because we feel it is crucial to acknowledge and celebrate the positive, transformative efforts taking place,” Jessica Mertz, Clery Center’s executive director, told Campus Safety. “Additionally, it is important for institutions to learn from one another and draw inspiration and motivation from successful programs. This is especially relevant now, as the COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the need for increased connectivity and networking.”
With support from the Center’s National Advisory Council, Clery Center will assess the entries based on the following criteria:
- Demonstration of significant impact in one or more of the following: reducing violence or harm, increasing access to or awareness of resources, enhancing feelings of safety, or improving policies and procedures related to safety
- Relevance to Clery Center’s mission of creating safer campuses
- Collaboration with cross-campus and/or off-campus partners
- Innovation in developing new approaches to meet the evolving needs of the community
- Commitment to advancing equity and inclusion
This award is not limited to Clery Act compliance programs — it is open to any program contributing to a safer campus community. Entries can be submitted by an individual directly involved in the nominated program/initiative or someone who is familiar with it. The individual responsible for implementing the program will be contacted to provide additional information.
Here are some important dates/deadlines:
- July 14: Last day to submit nominations
- July 14-Aug. 11: Applications reviewed
- Sept. 14: The Clery Center Campus Safety Impact Award will be presented at the National Campus Safety Awareness Month Virtual Summit and the work of the recipients will be highlighted during the event
Access the Campus Safety Impact Award application here.
Clery Act Compliance to Be Covered at Campus Safety Conferences
Complying with the Clery Act can be arduous and complex, and it requires dedicated staff and collaboration. At Campus Safety Conference Texas, happening July 31 – Aug. 2 in Dallas, and Campus Safety Conference at EDspaces, happening Nov. 7-9 in Charlotte, N.C., Erica Cooper, NC State University Police Department’s Director of Clery Compliance, and Ronette Gerber, University of North Carolina at Pembroke’s Director of the Office of Title IX and Clery Compliance, will present on the importance of creating relationships between law enforcement and Clery compliance officers.
Cooper and Gerber will highlight and explore some of the challenges and opportunities that law enforcement personnel face as they navigate their report writing and regulatory requirements under the Clery Act. They will also provide focused training to improve effectiveness in gathering information and writing the incident report narratives that facilitate classifying reports for Clery statistical disclosure.
View the full session description here and register for CSC Texas here. Registration for CSC at EDspaces will open in the coming weeks.
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