Two student organizations were recognized with the University of California President’s Award for Outstanding Student Leadership today (May 15) at the UC Board of Regents meeting in Sacramento. UCweVote, a student voter registration drive run by the UC Student Association (UCSA), and UC Riverside’s Healing Highlanders, a program aimed at addiction recovery support for students, were honored.
The award, established in 2010, recognizes undergraduate, graduate and professional students, as well as campus-based student organizations, for outstanding efforts in promoting and supporting multicampus initiatives. The award honors collaborative efforts that further the University of California’s mission of teaching, research and public service.
UCweVote was the most successful student-led voter registration and education campaign in the country in 2012. The UC Student Association campaign organized hundreds of volunteers and events on UC campuses and used social media and in-person contacts to register about 52,000 people in California prior to last November’s election. Ninety-two percent of those newly registered voters were UC students.
“UCweVote embodies the spirit of the University of California,” said UC President Mark Yudof. “The organizers ensured that student voices were heard in the last election and contributed to the passage of a number of important initiatives, including Proposition 30.”
Healing Highlanders is a student organization based on helping those struggling with addiction. The group put together a student-focused conference that addressed policy and wellness issues related to student addiction and recovery. The conference aimed to inspire students to establish their own recovery communities across California. Speakers included the physician director of the Betty Ford Center, a congresswoman and a White House representative.
“The success of their first conference and their ongoing work in advocacy, fellowship building and outreach, attracted private foundation funding that will enable them to expand their remarkable mission and vision,” Yudof said.
Nominations were solicited from the chancellors at all 10 campuses and from the UC Student Association. A selection committee of UCOP staff reviewed and scored each of the nominations, and President Yudof selected the winners. Each award recipient receives a $2,000 grant and a plaque.