On Receiving the Mark Berman Community Outreach Award from NERCOMP
I hit one of those deep and meaningful career moments last week at the annual NERCOMP conference. I was incredibly honored to receive the Mark Berman Community Outreach Award at NERCOMP; it’s one of those career moments that you pause, look back, and appreciate how far you’ve come, but also are even more energized to look forward and consider how much more you want to do for supporting and connecting with folks in the teaching, learning, and technology spaces in higher ed.
For some of you, it might be helpful to know more about both the organization and award. NERCOMP is a regional organization in the northeastern of the US that focuses on technology in higher education with a focus on leadership, teaching & learning, and technological systems in higher ed. There are hundreds of institutional members and they do lots of professional development and also consortium discounts for different services. The Mark Berman Community Outreach Award is an award named after Mark Berman, a leader within NERCOMP who fostered community, built connections, and helped make NERCOMP be a place where folks felt welcome.
I like to think that in the work that I've done over the years, this is the kind of work and care that I bring. Getting an award like this, tells me I'm on the right track.
Below is the brief speech I have (slightly edited) upon accepting it:
"I'll make it brief, I was told I only have 3 hours. I just want to thank everyone. I want to thank the folks that nominated me. I want to thank the committee for saying, 'hey, this is a good idea." I appreciate that NERCOMP because of what they do and their work--that's why I continue to show up every year. And I want to thank Mark Berman, for leading the way in showing how we give back, bring present with others, and community.
I was at my first NERCOMP in 2012 and probably, like many others I was brought here by other people and those people introduced me to new people. And now, thirteen years later--to insert a dated reference--it feels like Cheers in a very wonderful way. There's less alcohol but more swag and food, so there's a kind of "NERCOMP 15" that happens. But it's just awesome to both and feel so much fulfillment from this community.
In receiving this award, I've realized that it's both an award and a mandate. It's not just reflecting what I've done but what I will keep on doing.
If this is your first conference, make a connection; if you've been coming for a while, keep making connections. I think NERCOMP really embodies this community practice of coming here to share what you've learned, learn new things, and make new friends and colleagues. That is the cornerstone of NERCOMP and so I'm very grateful for the award and getting to continue in conversation with so many of you. Thank you!"
One regret that I have is that I did not name names. Of course, that list would have been long, but I wish I had remembered to thank Andrea Milligan for bringing me to my first NERCOMP conference and introducing me to the community as well as helping me with some of my earliest workshops and sessions.
I have some ambiguous feelings about awards as well as even talking about this one here in this way. In talking about the award here, I'm trying to not performatively humble-brag and also, do what I often do, which is use this blog to reflect on significant things in my life. It's one of my own ways of sense-making about the world I find myself in and also reflecting for my own process in a way that may also be helpful to others. But it feels at tension with sharing "hey, I got an award."
My ambiguity about awards is a little more complicated. I know why they exist and believe people should be recognized for their work; but still, they can have hints of elitism and competition. I know this isn't the case for all awards and none of this should reflect on this award or NERCOMP, it's just a tendency I feel and navigate.
Yet, receiving an award from a community that I'm deeply involved and committed to has definitely felt quite meaningful. It's a tangible way to know that I'm on the right track; that the values I espouse and believe to demonstrate are seen by others. It also serves to deepen my relationship with NERCOMP and pause to consider all the ways it has been a part of my professional life.
Additionally, as I indicated in the brief speech, it's a mandate. It does not say hat I've achieved the work but that I'm achieving the work. It's a call to keep doing this work; keep trying to be in community with others, supporting people earlier in their career, making new connections, learning and sharing my own learning, and making sure that I pay it forward. If I can think about the award in that light, then it sits with me more properly. I'm on the right track, but I'm still on the journey.
So that's where I find myself today as I think about this new milestone in my life. Thank you for everyone (and there are so many of you) who have helped me see the importance in doing this kind of the work--by showing, guiding, inviting, and encouraging me.
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