Wilga Rivers Award

Leadership in Postsecondary World Language Education

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Wilga Rivers Award for Leadership in World Language Education (Post-Secondary)

Wilga Rivers
Wilga Rivers

The Wilga M. Rivers Award honors the memory of an internationally renowned scholar and author, and one of the first women to be appointed to a full Professorship at Harvard. She was a perennial member of TESOL and a recognized national and international authority on the psychological and linguistic aspects of language teaching. She was the author and co-author of 13 books and nearly 80 articles on various aspects of language teaching.

Evidence of the nominee's leadership should consist of a record of active participation in the activities of various world language organizations. This would include not only membership and holding office but also work on committees, significant publications, conference presentations, and other organizational activities. One award may be made annually to a postsecondary world language educator or administrator. The recipient of this award receives an honorarium.

Procedures for Nomination

  1. The nomination dossier must include the following documents (in order):
    1. A cover letter introducing the nominee and other dossier materials to follow, signed by nominator or by self-nominee (not to exceed 500 words).
    2. Curriculum vitae of the nominee (not to exceed 10 pages or 4500 words).
    3. A narrative addressing the award criteria (not to exceed 4500 words).
    4. Letters of support – maximum of 3; including but not limited to colleagues, supervisors, current or former students, and administrators.
    5. Other supporting documentation not to exceed 10 pages or 4500 words (e.g., photos, artifacts, articles, etc.) that documents the nominee’s special honors and awards, innovative curricular programs the nominee has developed, and evidence of leadership in world language education (see rubric for specific criteria and indicators); supporting materials may include links to video and audio files.

  2. Complete nomination dossiers must be submitted through the online form in one PDF file by the deadline.

NOTE: No member or officer of the ACTFL or Language Connects Foundation Board of Directors may write a letter of support for any award nominee or actively shepherd the nomination of an award nominee. No member or officer of the ACTFL or Language Connects Foundation Board of Directors, or ACTFL employee is eligible for nomination for any award while holding these positions.

ACTFL & Language Connects Foundation Professional Award Nominations are Open

The nomination deadline is 5 PM ET on June 14, 2024.

Submit a nomination

Procedures for the Selection Committee

  1. The award Selection Committee will be chaired by a member of ACTFL, invited by the current ACTFL President.
  2. Committee members will be selected from those that apply as volunteers.
  3. Committee members rate and rank the dossiers using the award rubric and return their ratings and rankings to the Committee Chair or Co-Chairs by an agreed upon date.
  4. The Committee may meet as many times as needed to decide on the award recipient.
  5. At the discretion of the Committee, the award may or may not be presented during a given year.

View The Evaluation Rubric

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PDF View Evaluation Rubric

Wilga Rivers Award Rubric

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