Awards recognize excellence in public engagement

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Outstanding individual and group outreach efforts were recognized with the 2022 Campus Awards for Excellence in Public Engagement. The awards spotlight individuals at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who have consistently applied their knowledge and expertise to issues for the public good.

The recipients, as characterized by their nominators:

Jorge Rojas-Alvarez, a graduate student at the Institute of Communications Research, was honored with the Campus Excellence in Public Engagement Award for Graduate/Professional Students.

Rojas-Alvarez draws inspiration from designing technologies for social change. His passion for community building combined with his ability to identify growth opportunities has helped to serve Champaign County residents.

His most notable contributions include the 2-1-1/Champaign County Resources project, a call-based information service that connects individuals in need with local organizations. For over two years, he organized and implemented improvements to make the service more accessible and navigable to users. With a forward-thinking mindset, his leadership organized partnerships, group services, research and funding to benefit the surrounding community.

Jonathan Coppess, an assistant professor in agricultural and consumer economics, was honored with the Emerging Award for Excellence in Public Engagement.

Coppess’ sustained dedication to public engagement can be seen in his significant contributions to agricultural, conservation and climate-related policies.

As a frequent contributor to various written law and policy communication platforms, Coppess’ work has been instrumental in engaging the public sector for the betterment of agriculture. His nationally recognized expertise, research and scholarship led him to serve in prominent roles, from the administrator of the Farm Service Agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture to being an invited adviser on agricultural affairs for the Biden-Harris presidential transition in 2020. Above all, his contributions to the public discourse on federal policy are known for being accessible to lawmakers, farmers, scholars and students.

Robert M. Lawless, a professor of law, was honored with the Distinguished Award for Campus Excellence in Public Engagement.

Lawless embodies the land-grant mission of Illinois by helping to translate knowledge into actionable improvements for the public. 

As a leading national scholar of bankruptcy law, Lawless has demonstrated significant commitment and leadership around public engagement in the field of law and beyond. From writing blogs to participating in local radio, he aims to demystify the bankruptcy system to public audiences. Additionally, Lawless is regularly quoted in international and national publications such as The Financial Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Globe and Mail and The Washington Post, as well as in local media across the state of Illinois. He also leads the consumer bankruptcy-reform movement.

The Child Development Laboratory at Illinois was awarded the Team Award for the Campus Award for Excellence in Public Engagement.

The Child Development Laboratory is viewed as one of the top laboratory schools in the country. Supporting the teaching, research and service missions of the university, the laboratory school provides early care and education to children while also facilitating thousands of student observations and class projects each year, including internships, teacher training and empirical research projects.

Throughout the pandemic, the Child Development Laboratory team has delivered on educational missions while providing support for local families, Illinois students and the surrounding community. From redesigning staffing patterns and instructional technologies to supporting first responders and food-insecure families, the lab has worked to improve collaborations, teaching and research activities.