Campus Connection

Nese Nasif earns the Faculty Research Award for Extraordinary Service for her equity and diversity efforts

Nese Nasif, UW-La Crosse assistant professor of marketing, received the inaugural UWL award for her efforts to further equity, diversity and inclusion on campus and in the community.

Chancellor Joe Gow announced Nasif’s Faculty Research Award for Extraordinary Service, during the All- University Address on Wednesday, January 22. The new award is designed to acknowledge and reward the additional service obligations associated with faculty who actively advance UWL’s strategic pillar of advancing excellence through equity and diversity. The award provides a one-semester course release in order to support the production of scholarly work among tenure-track faculty members.

Nasif says she is “honored, excited, and humbled” to receive the award. She sees many colleagues across campus doing this important work, and she is grateful that UWL is putting resources into recognizing the importance of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the community.

“We cannot simply become diverse by bringing in people with marginalized identities because if the space we are bringing them into is not inclusive and equitable, then we are not bringing them into safe spaces. We need faculty, staff, and the community as a whole to continuously work to advance our mission of inclusiveness to achieve a diverse campus,” she says. “I am appreciative that UWL values this work, but also, recognizes the opportunity costs of this sort of service for probationary faculty. That this award provides time and resources towards my disciplinary research is invaluable.”

Nasif’s service engagements within and across her department, college, university, and community at large have included several professional development opportunities and volunteer service undertakings. She serves as her department’s representative in the Equity Liaison Initiative, earned both the Equitable Educator and the Effective Course Design certificates in CATL’s Association of Colleges and University Educators (ACUE) course series, participated in the Rise Up program’s inaugural cohort, is a participant in the Campus Climate Hate/Bias Response Challenge Network , volunteered her spring break session to serve as a family cluster facilitator for UWL’s week-long LeaderShape Retreat, and is currently a participant in UWL’s Institute for Social Justice. Nasif is a regular attendee at campus presentations and workshops focused on helping her become a more inclusive instructor, including workshops on how to be a better ally to students with marginalized identities and panels of students speaking on how they perceive their marginalized identities affecting their university experience.

Off campus, Nasif is a mayoral appointed Commissioner on the City of La Crosse’s Human Right’s Commission, a member of the Board of Directors at YWCA La Crosse, and a frequent ad hoc organizer of community events that related to equity and social justice.

With colleagues, she is sometimes consulted on issues of workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion. “I enjoy these discussions,” Nasif says, “but I also feel that they are part of all of our jobs in promoting UWL’s strategic pillar regarding diversity and inclusion.” She says that she “feels lucky” to have resources like the Office of Multicultural Students Services and other equity liaisons across the university to support faculty initiatives in equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Apply for the award

Applications for next year’s award are due Monday, February 24, 2020 at 4:30 pm.