The UW System Board of Regents will recognize three winners of the Regents Diversity Award, given annually to System individuals, groups and institutional programs that cultivate a successful university life for historically marginalized groups.
The board established this award in 2009 and grants $5,000 to each recipient for furthering professional development or the work of their program, according to a UW System release.
Past winners come from many UW System institutions, including UW-Madison, which has received award money to advance initiatives such as the Pre-College Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence. Other institutions developed research apprenticeships, multicultural scholar programs and additional degree programs exploring the identities of underrepresented groups worldwide.
This year’s winners include associate history professor Chia Youyee Vang from UW-Milwaukee, a team from UW-Extension partnered with UW Colleges and the UW-Stout Multicultural Student Services program.
Vang, a previous recipient of the UW System Outstanding Women of Color in Education Award, developed an interdisciplinary Hmong Diaspora certificate program that provides UW-Milwaukee students with the opportunity to learn about Hmong culture and heritage, according to the release.
UW-Extension’s Milwaukee County 4-H Youth Development team and UW-Waukesha Continuing Education created the SySTEMatics program, which encourages low-income middle schoolers to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Multicultural Student Services at UW-Stout aims to address personal, academic and financial needs of underrepresented student groups on campus.
Regent José Vásquez supported the winners’ commitment to expanding student opportunities.
“We recognize and salute these award recipients for their leadership in helping students develop their talents and contribute to their communities,” Vásquez said in the release.
