The African American Achievement Awards will return as an in-person ceremony for the eighth year in a row at Saint Xavier University—the first time since the pandemic.
Also known as the AAAA, the event will be held on Saturday, Feb. 26 at 5 p.m. at McGuire Hall.
As stated on the mySXU portal announcement on Dec. 7, 2021, “This annual award program recognizes students, faculty and staff members for their contributions in and outside of the classroom,”
In an interview conducted via email on Jan. 18, Director of Student Life, Ashley Jackson, mentioned that she’s hopeful the ceremony could remain at the McGuire Hall location and not online. However, she has some exceptions to this.
After receiving an email announcement from Saint Xavier President, Laurie Joyner, Ph.D. on Dec. 31, 2021—and news of Omicron cases spiking in Illinois since Dec. 7—Jackson says, “The event would only change if there were changes to the classes or mandate by the State of Illinois.”
She adds that, “it would only be [shifting] virtual if there were a change to classes moved virtual.”
On Jan. 21, the SXU Black History Month Planning Committee recommended that people should consider submitting nominations for the following 10 categories: First-Year MVP Award, Sophomore MVP Award, Junior MVP Award, Senior MVP Award, Graduate Student MVP Award, Outstanding Staff Award, Outstanding Faculty Award, Outstanding Student-Athlete Award, Outstanding Student Leader Award, and The Michael Clark Service Award.
Jackson gave an overview of which students would be eligible for a nomination. She told The Xavierite that potential nominees will be honored mainly for, “grades, involvement on campus and in the community, and athletics.”
“Once the nominations are complete, a committee will score each nomination based on a rubric,” Jackson noted. And as expected, “The announcement of the awards will take place at the event.”
Jackson wants to make sure that everyone has a fair chance to be nominated.
“The AAAA has a positive impact on the university because students and employees are recognized for their contributions at SXU and beyond! It is my motivation to continue making a difference in the SXU community.”
Anyone is welcome and encouraged to submit a nomination by February 1st. Those interested may submit their nomination using the African American Achievement Awards 2022 Nomination Form.
Nominations were originally closed on Jan. 31 but are extended on The Den. They opened again from the initial deadline and were due by Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 4 p.m.
The committee thanks the SXU campus community for their help in recognizing outstanding student achievement.
If anyone has any questions or concerns, they may email studentlife@sxu.edu and contact Ashley Jackson at anjackson@sxu.edu to request more information.
Additional details about the Eighth Annual AAAA ceremony will be released soon.
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