Andrew Beckerman Inspiring Community Leadership Award – 2023 in honour of Aaron Devor Value: $2500
Award Overview
This award will recognize a Camosun College student in any discipline who has completed a minimum of one year of studies at Camosun and are continuing their education in their chosen field at Camosun. The successful applicant will show community leadership through demonstrated engagement at Camosun College or other community involvement.
The 2023 award is in honour of Aaron Devor.
Eligibility Criteria
Nominee must:
- Be enrolled at Camosun College in the 12 months prior to the award application deadline
- Be continuing their studies at Camosun, in any program, in the upcoming Fall semester
- Demonstrate good academic standing (GPA of 2.0 [C] or higher)
- Demonstrate community engagement and involvement at Camosun College or the broader community.
- Be a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident
Selection Process
- The Awards Committee will review applications and recommend a recipient. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
- As Grade Point Average is a criteria for this award, the Awards Committee will be reviewing Camosun College transcripts.
- The successful recipient will be notified by email no later than 6 weeks after the award application closing date.
- The award will be applied to the successful recipient’s tuition account for the Fall semester.
Submit a nomination package
- Nominator to fill out the Contact Information below.
- Student may self-nominate for this award.
- Attach a ‘Student Support Statement’, not exceeding 500 words typed double spaced, outlining how the student satisfies the award criteria. Statement to be written by the nominator or, in the case of self-nomination, student.
- Attach one (1) letter of reference from a professional source in support of the nominee’s commitment to community engagement and involvement at Camosun College or the broader community.
Dr. Aaron Devor, PhD, FSSSS, FSTLHE, is an internationally recognized leader in Transgender Studies who has been studying and teaching about transgender topics since the early 1980s. He established and holds the world’s first Chair in Transgender Studies; initiated and hosts the international, interdisciplinary, and intergenerational Moving Trans History Forward conferences; and founded and is the subject matter expert for the world’s largest Transgender Archives. He has published widely on transgender topics, including as an author of four books and editor of another.
His 1989 book, Gender Blending: Confronting the Limits of Duality, was the first book to describe people whose gender expression might now be thought of as nonbinary. His 1997, 720-page classic, FTM: Female- to-Male Transsexuals in Society, was the second-ever research book about trans men and the first based on non-clinical field research. Other influential works includes a widely-cited model of transgender identity development (2004) and the Lambda-Literary-Award-nominee The Transgender Archives: Foundations for the Future (2014) about the Transgender Archives at the University of Victoria. He has also been an author of versions of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s (WPATH) Standards of Care since 1999 (versions 6, 7, & 8), and guided the translation of version 7 into world languages.
Devor’s opinions are frequently sought by the media, he has appeared in many professionally-produced videos, and he has delivered more than 40 keynote and plenary addresses to audiences around the world. He has received numerous awards for his research and advocacy work including the Virginia Prince Pioneer Award, the Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, the Canadian Association of University Teachers Equity Award, and awards from the University of Victoria for Outstanding Community Outreach, and for Advocacy and Activism in Equity and Diversity.
He is also a 3M national-award-winning teacher, a Fellow of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, and a member of the International Academy of Sex Research. Dr. Devor is a former Dean of Graduate Studies (2002-2012), and a professor of Sociology, at the University of Victoria.