TEN YEARS OF STANDING UP Years of Standing Up

What Do YOU Stand Up For?

The Rock Ethics Institute inaugurated the Stand Up Award to honor Penn State undergraduate students who have demonstrated courage, fortitude, and ethical leadership by taking a stand for a person, a cause, or a belief. Scroll down to learn about what Penn State students stood up for throughout the last 10 years.

Learn About Honorees

Nominate a Student

STAND UP 2017

We Stand Up For

Acceptance & Inclusion,

Sustainable Agriculture, and

Equity & Diversity.

Do you know a Penn State Undergraduate student who stands up for a belief, a cause, or an idea?

Nominate Them for the 2018 Award

STAND UP 2016

We Stand Up For

Social Justice,

Environmental Justice, and

Combatting Student Poverty.

Stand Up 2015

We Stand Up For

LGBTQ+ Communities

Against Global Poverty, and

Preventing Sexual Violence.

TEN YEARS OF STANDING UP

This award and the individuals it honors should remind the entire Penn State community of how often the extraordinary act is possible in ordinary circumstances. Learn more about past awardees by clicking on each poster below.

Brian Anthony Davis

Hayly Hoch

Alexis Scott

Jaden Rankin-Wahlers

Sarah O’Donald

Parker Werns

Ruth Canagarajah

Stephen Lucas

Nathan Larkin

Shane George

Staci Neal

Taryn Noll

Zachary Brubaker

Alanna Kaiser

Andie Graham

Barbara Donnini

Alexis Scott

Desiree Martin

Elizabeth Francis

Miatta Massaley

Maggie Cardin

Joshua Brady Branch

Koann Eicher

Brian Davis

Melissa McCleery

Jeremy Weisblatt

Peggy Styles

Julian Haas

Carolyn McDonald

Gizelle Studevent

Jeff Brozena

Hilary Griffith

Emily Helms

Sara Kizer

Mallorie McCue

Do you know a Penn State Undergraduate student who stands up for a belief, a cause, or an idea?

Nominate Them for the 2018 Award

Do You Have Any Questions?

If you don’t see your question here, please contact us.

What is the Stand Up Award?

The Rock Ethics Institute inaugurated the Stand Up Award to honor Penn State undergraduate students who have demonstrated courage, fortitude, and ethical leadership by taking a stand for a person, a cause, or a belief. This award and the individuals it honors should remind the entire Penn State community of how often the extraordinary act is possible in ordinary circumstances.

What do you need to Stand Up?

In the face of difficult challenges, social pressures, and conflicting claims concerning what to do, it takes courage and conviction to Stand Up for the beliefs that we hold dear. You can Stand Up if you have:

- Confidence, borne of solid understanding of the tools for ethical inquiry
- Experience that leads to understanding the possible consequences of speaking out
- Knowledge of ethical norms and values

We at the Rock Ethics Institute are proud that examples of such courage and conviction are found among the undergraduate students at Penn State. Ethical leadership is clearly alive on all of our campuses across the Commonwealth. It is especially impressive when a student stands up by:

- Articulating the particular ethical values and principles that are most relevant to an ethical situation
- Assessing where substantive agreements and disagreements occur in everyday life and actions
- Modeling productive ways of addressing disagreements
- Acting with ethical leadership

Can I nominate a Penn State Undergrad?

Absolutely! Any faculty, staff, student, or community member may nominate a Penn State undergraduate student from any campus for the Stand Up Award

Does the nominee need to be full-time?

Yes, the nominee must be enrolled as a full-time baccalaureate student at any Penn State campus during at least one semester of the 2016/17 academic year.

How do I nominate a student?

You can submit your nomination via the online nomination form. Both the nominee and the nominator can submit their information independently and the other will be notified once the required materials are submitted.

What is required of the nominator during the application process?

Nominators must write a confidential letter on behalf of the student. This letter should address the items listed below. Please be specific and provide relevant details for the Stand Up Award Committee to consider in their review process.

- How do you know the student?
- How did you become aware of the student’s ethical leadership?
- What did the student accomplish?
- What is the ethical issue(s) that the student’s actions addressed?
- How did the student serve as an exemplar of ethical leadership?

What is required of the nominee during the application process?

A three-part essay written by the nominee, of no more than 750 words, describing what was accomplished, the ethical reasoning that led to this action, and how these actions involved ethical leadership. The nominee can find the editable essay form here. In order to understand the Rock Ethics Institute’s conception of ethical leadership we encourage students to view our Ethical Leadership Education module.

CONTACT US

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814.863.0314

131 Sparks Building, University Park, PA 16802

Rock Ethics Institute

The Rock Ethics Institute inaugurated the Stand Up Award to honor Penn State undergraduate students who have demonstrated courage, fortitude, and ethical leadership by taking a stand for a person, a cause, or a belief. This award and the individuals it honors should remind the entire Penn State community of how often the extraordinary act is possible in ordinary circumstances.

STAND UP AWARDS