Leaders & Legends Awards
Recognize the many outstanding contributions of alumni and friends of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) around the globe with six exciting awards. The 2024 nomination period is now closed.
The awards celebrate the impact of OISE's alumni and friends who exemplify the Institute's mission for excellence in education.
There are six award categories:
Excellence
Emerging Leader
Innovation
Distinguished Service
Global Service
Mentor of the Year
Eligibility
Nominees must be alumni or friends of the Institute. Individuals may be nominated in one award category only per year. Self-nominations are not eligible. Unsuccessful nominations may be resubmitted for consideration in future years. The Selection Committee is not eligible to submit any nominations. Current members of the Selection Committee cannot be nominated for an award. If a member is nominated, they must resign from the Committee to ensure a fair and impartial process.
Nominator: Nominations may be submitted by OISE alumni, faculty, staff, students, retirees, and friends.
Selection Criteria
Each nomination must be directed to one of the six award categories outlined in the Award Rubric section. You must refer to this section as you prepare your nomination. Selection of recipients is based on a rigorous and equitable review process.
All award categories align with OISE’s mission and vision. Successful nominees will exemplify OISE’s values and commitment in those areas.
Nomination Process
Before getting started, please carefully review the bullets below:
- Nominations are now closed. In Spring 2025, you may check back to complete the Online Nomination Form, ensuring that applications do not exceed maximums where noted.
- You will be required to provide two (2) letters of support. One letter MUST come from an OISE community member (faculty, staff, student, alum, and/or retiree) that clearly highlight the nominee’s contributions and fulfillment of the awards criteria as per the Awards Rubrics. Each letter must not exceed 500 words. Nominators cannot submit a letter.
- Attach the nominee’s curriculum vitae.
Important
- Nominators must complete the application package as outlined and ensure the accuracy of the documents submitted.
- Nominees should be made aware of any applications in their name.
- Only completed packages will be accepted. Please submit early.
- Together with the OISE Dean's Office, the Leaders and Legends Awards Committee will ensure a transparent and equitable evaluation process. The community will celebrate our winners, who receive an engraved crystal award.
Award Rubrics
In recognition of the impact of leadership, this award honours an individual who is committed to pursuing and achieving the highest levels of performance in their field.
Performance Competencies
Successful Excellence Award nominees must clearly demonstrate the following:
- Pursues Excellence: Sets high standards of performance for self and others; self-imposes standards of excellence.
- Builds Trust: Interacts with others in a way that gives them confidence in one’s intentions and those of the OISE brand.
- Delivers Results: Establishes high goals for success and personal accomplishment; meets or exceeds those goals; conveys a sense of urgency and drives issues to closure.
- Building Partnerships: Identifies opportunities and takes action to build strategic relationships that will promote excellence in academic or professional programs and/or research and scholarship.
- Promotes Diversity: Appreciates and leverages the capabilities, insights, and ideas of individuals of all backgrounds; works effectively with individuals of diverse style, ability, and motivation.
- Embodies Vision and Values: Demonstrates an understanding of their local school/business unit’s vision and values, as well as OISE's, using them as a point of reference where appropriate. Keeps the vision and values at the forefront of decision-making and personal action.
OISE Mission and Themes
Successful nominees will align in one or more ways with OISE's mission:
- Prepare scholars, teachers and other professional leaders to be equipped with the skills and global awareness required by an increasingly challenging and complex society, ready to influence policy and practice in their fields.
- Discover and mobilize knowledge through leading-edge research, pedagogical and technological innovation, creativity, and scholarship-driven local, national and international collaboration.
- Advance lifelong learning through innovative professional development programming and capacity building for educational change.
- Contribute to public policy dialogue regarding key societal issues.
Nominees must show commitment to one or more OISE Themes – related to excellence in education, research, scholarship and/or advocacy.
- Building our community: learning and leading from within;
- Commitment to Indigenization;
- Wellbeing and mental health;
- Equity, diversity and accessibility;
- Transformative and innovative pedagogy;
- Building our impact: scholarship, collaboration and internationalization
This award recognizes an individual who has shown vision, initiative and great promise in inspiring and organizing positive change in their communities.
Performance Competencies
Successful Emerging Leader Award nominees must clearly demonstrate the following:
- Embraces a Growth Mindset: Embraces and models a growth mindset that aligns with and supports a strong career trajectory.
- Builds Trust: Interacts with others in a way that gives them confidence in one’s intentions and those of the OISE brand.
- Embraces Change: Actively identifies problems and opportunities for change and implements solutions where appropriate. Maintains effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work tasks or the work environment; adjusts effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements, or cultures.
- Continuous Learning: Actively identifies new areas for learning; regularly creates and takes advantage of learning opportunities; uses newly gained knowledge and skills to benefit themselves, the field of education, and OISE.
- Promotes Diversity: Appreciates and leverages the capabilities, insights, and ideas of individuals of all backgrounds; works effectively with individuals of diverse style, ability, and motivation.
Embodies Vision and Values: Demonstrates an understanding of their local school/business unit’s vision and values, as well as OISE's, using them as a point of reference where appropriate. Keeps the vision and values at the forefront of decision-making and personal action.
OISE Mission and Themes
Successful nominees will align in one or more ways with OISE's mission:
- Prepare scholars, teachers and other professional leaders to be equipped with the skills and global awareness required by an increasingly challenging and complex society, ready to influence policy and practice in their fields.
- Discover and mobilize knowledge through leading-edge research, pedagogical and technological innovation, creativity, and scholarship-driven local, national and international collaboration.
- Advance lifelong learning through innovative professional development programming and capacity building for educational change.
- Contribute to public policy dialogue regarding key societal issues.
Nominees must show commitment to one or more OISE Themes – related to excellence in education, research, scholarship and/or advocacy.
- Building our community: learning and leading from within;
- Commitment to Indigenization;
- Wellbeing and mental health;
- Equity, diversity and accessibility;
- Transformative and innovative pedagogy;
- Building our impact: scholarship, collaboration and internationalization
Awarded to those who have fostered novel ideas, approaches or solutions in their field, this award celebrates outstanding performance, resulting in new or improved innovations.
Performance Competencies
Successful Innovation Award nominees must clearly demonstrate the following:
- Innovation: Generates innovative solutions in work situations; tries different and novel ways to deal with work problems and opportunities. Challenges paradigms, seeking alternative ways to view problems.
- Problem Analysis and Problem Solving: Uses sound or logical judgment to spot and analyze problems, develop alternative solutions and initiate solutions.
- Ability to Influence: Uses appropriate interpersonal styles and techniques to gain acceptance of ideas or plans. Effectively explores alternatives to reach outcomes that gain the support and acceptance of others.
- Thinks Expansively: Combines ideas in unique ways or makes connections between disparate ideas; explores different lines of thought; views situations from multiple perspectives; brainstorms multiple approaches/solutions.
- Promotes Diversity: Appreciates and leverages the capabilities, insights, and ideas of individuals of all backgrounds; works effectively with individuals of diverse style, ability, and motivation.
Embodies Vision and Values: Demonstrates an understanding of their local school/business unit’s vision and values, as well as OISE's, using them as a point of reference where appropriate. Keeps the vision and values at the forefront of decision-making and personal action.
OISE Mission and Themes
Successful nominees will align in one or more ways with OISE's mission:
- Prepare scholars, teachers and other professional leaders to be equipped with the skills and global awareness required by an increasingly challenging and complex society, ready to influence policy and practice in their fields.
- Discover and mobilize knowledge through leading-edge research, pedagogical and technological innovation, creativity, and scholarship-driven local, national and international collaboration.
- Advance lifelong learning through innovative professional development programming and capacity building for educational change.
- Contribute to public policy dialogue regarding key societal issues.
Nominees must show commitment to one or more OISE Themes – related to excellence in education, research, scholarship and/or advocacy.
- Building our community: learning and leading from within;
- Commitment to Indigenization;
- Wellbeing and mental health;
- Equity, diversity and accessibility;
- Transformative and innovative pedagogy;
- Building our impact: scholarship, collaboration and internationalization
This award honours exceptional individuals for longstanding or distinguished service in an area of public importance.
Performance Competencies
Successful Distinguished Service Award nominees must clearly demonstrate the following:
- Community Mindset: Serves the community in a unique manner, promoting the well-being of others. Engages with community leaders to understand needs. Promotes the concept of social interest.
- Build Networks: Makes strong connections and builds productive networks. Makes favourable impressions by interacting in a manner that builds effective relationships.
- Builds Partnerships: Identifies opportunities and takes action to build strategic relationships in the community that will promote the best interests of the public and community well-being.
- Persuasiveness: Uses appropriate interpersonal style and communication methods to gain acceptance of a service or idea in support of the public and the community at large.
- Promotes Diversity: Appreciates and leverages the capabilities, insights, and ideas of individuals of all backgrounds; works effectively with individuals of diverse style, ability, and motivation.
Embodies Vision and Values: Demonstrates an understanding of their local school/business unit’s vision and values, as well as OISE's, using them as a point of reference where appropriate. Keeps the vision and values at the forefront of decision-making and personal action.
OISE Mission and Themes
Successful nominees will align in one or more ways with OISE's mission:
- Prepare scholars, teachers and other professional leaders to be equipped with the skills and global awareness required by an increasingly challenging and complex society, ready to influence policy and practice in their fields.
- Discover and mobilize knowledge through leading-edge research, pedagogical and technological innovation, creativity, and scholarship-driven local, national and international collaboration.
- Advance lifelong learning through innovative professional development programming and capacity building for educational change.
- Contribute to public policy dialogue regarding key societal issues.
Nominees must show commitment to one or more OISE Themes – related to excellence in education, research, scholarship and/or advocacy.
- Building our community: learning and leading from within;
- Commitment to Indigenization;
- Wellbeing and mental health;
- Equity, diversity and accessibility;
- Transformative and innovative pedagogy;
- Building our impact: scholarship, collaboration and internationalization
This award celebrates an extraordinary individual for commitment to addressing the world's social and humanitarian challenges with notable global impact.
Performance Competencies
Successful Global Service Award nominees must clearly demonstrate the following:
- Promotes Global Citizenship: Takes an active role in the community promoting the importance of a fair, equitable and sustainable world. Understands the wider world and the role they can play to improve it.
- Build Networks: Makes strong connections and builds productive networks, internationally. Makes favourable impressions by interacting in a manner that builds effective relationships.
- Builds Global Connections: Promotes the prowess of OISE across the globe by connecting with others.
- Global Impact: Addresses the world’s social and humanitarian challenges, making an exceptional global impact. Shares knowledge, research and/or practices across geographies in a culturally sensitive manner.
- Promotes Diversity: Appreciates and leverages the capabilities, insights, and ideas of individuals of all backgrounds; works effectively with individuals of diverse style, ability, and motivation.
Embodies Vision and Values: Demonstrates an understanding of their local school/business unit’s vision and values, as well as OISE's, using them as a point of reference where appropriate. Keeps the vision and values at the forefront of decision-making and personal action.
OISE Mission and Themes
Successful nominees will align in one or more ways with OISE's mission:
- Prepare scholars, teachers and other professional leaders to be equipped with the skills and global awareness required by an increasingly challenging and complex society, ready to influence policy and practice in their fields.
- Discover and mobilize knowledge through leading-edge research, pedagogical and technological innovation, creativity, and scholarship-driven local, national and international collaboration.
- Advance lifelong learning through innovative professional development programming and capacity building for educational change.
- Contribute to public policy dialogue regarding key societal issues.
Nominees must show commitment to one or more OISE Themes – related to excellence in education, research, scholarship and/or advocacy.
- Building our community: learning and leading from within;
- Commitment to Indigenization;
- Wellbeing and mental health;
- Equity, diversity and accessibility;
- Transformative and innovative pedagogy;
- Building our impact: scholarship, collaboration and internationalization
This award honours an individual who has offered exceptional support, guidance and encouragement to members of the OISE community.
Performance Competencies
Successful Mentor of the Year Award nominees must clearly demonstrate the following:
- Mentors Others: Offers exceptional support, guidance and encouragement to members of the OISE community. Takes a personal interest in mentoring relationships. Shares time and expertise.
- Models Excellence: Demonstrates a positive mindset, acting as a positive role model. Lives and models the OISE values. Promotes excellence.
- Recognizes Talent: Strong ability to identify and nurture talent in others. Makes connections and shares networks, helping to build strong and beneficial relationships.
- Embraces a Growth Mindset: Embraces and models a growth mindset that aligns with and supports a strong career trajectory.
- Promotes Diversity: Appreciates and leverages the capabilities, insights, and ideas of individuals of all backgrounds; works effectively with individuals of diverse style, ability, and motivation.
Embodies Vision and Values: Demonstrates an understanding of their local school/business unit’s vision and values, as well as OISE's, using them as a point of reference where appropriate. Keeps the vision and values at the forefront of decision-making and personal action.
OISE Mission and Themes
Successful nominees will align in one or more ways with OISE's mission:
- Prepare scholars, teachers and other professional leaders to be equipped with the skills and global awareness required by an increasingly challenging and complex society, ready to influence policy and practice in their fields.
- Discover and mobilize knowledge through leading-edge research, pedagogical and technological innovation, creativity, and scholarship-driven local, national and international collaboration.
- Advance lifelong learning through innovative professional development programming and capacity building for educational change.
- Contribute to public policy dialogue regarding key societal issues.
Nominees must show commitment to one or more OISE Themes – related to excellence in education, research, scholarship and/or advocacy.
- Building our community: learning and leading from within;
- Commitment to Indigenization;
- Wellbeing and mental health;
- Equity, diversity and accessibility;
- Transformative and innovative pedagogy;
- Building our impact: scholarship, collaboration and internationalization