Barefoot & Gardner Awards
Barefoot & Gardner Awards for Transformative Student Success
The John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Higher Education (Gardner Institute) is a 25 year-old nonprofit organization dedicated to partnering with colleges, universities, philanthropic organizations, educators, and other entities to increase institutional responsibility for improving outcomes associated with teaching, learning, retention, and completion. Through its efforts, the Institute strives to advance higher education’s larger goal of helping every learner thrive and complete a high-quality postsecondary credential.
The Gardner Institute publicly recognizes postsecondary institutions that have taken active steps to successfully mitigate student performance gaps. The annual award was created and named by friends and colleagues of Drs. Betsy O. Barefoot and John N. Gardner, the Gardner Institute’s co-founders. This award recognizes and honors their deep commitment and dedication to postsecondary education that expands opportunities for all students.
Every two years, one two-year institution and one four-year institution in the United States will be selected as recipients of the Barefoot & Gardner Award. The award recognizes institutions that, at scale and with strong supporting evidence, demonstrate a deep commitment to expanding educational opportunity and achieving undergraduate success for all learners.
Institutions receiving this recognition will be selected by a distinguished panel of experts. The 2025 awards will be presented in November 2025 at the Gardner Institute’s 3rd Annual Symposium for Transforming Postsecondary Education, which will take place in Chicago on November 2, 2025.
Eligibility
- Two-Year and Four-Year Undergraduate Institutions
- Located in the United States
- Private or Public Institutions
- Demonstrated commitment towards student success
Nomination and Selection Process
- Open Apr 1, 2025
- Close Jul 7, 2025
- Committee evaluation begins Jul 8, 2025
- Notification Aug 1, 2025
- Award recipients will be notified in August 2025.
Now Accepting Nominations
Submit by July 7, 2025
The Selected Institutions Will Receive:
- A plaque recognizing institutional accomplishments in successfully mitigating student performance gaps and outcomes
- National recognition through Gardner Institute announcements of recipients
- Opportunity to present your work and outcomes at A Symposium on Transforming the Postsecondary Experience in Chicago, IL in October 2025. (The Gardner Institute will cover the registration fees and travel costs for one person to accept the award)
2024 Barefoot & Gardner Award Recipients
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a four-year, public research university in Houston, Texas. Their mission is “The University of Houston draws strength from its diversity to transform lives and communities through education, research, service and innovation in a real world setting. UH is an engine for discovery, conversation and change that informs and leads local, state, national and global partnerships.”
The University of Houston is recognized for its commitment to improving gateway course performance through extensive faculty development, equity-informed course redesign, and strategic partnership. The University redesigned over 60 DFWI high-rate courses. From 2021 to 2023 the DFWI rates for students in historically underrepresented student populations (Pell-eligible students, first-generation students, Black students, and Hispanic students) decreased in some courses, from 42% to 66%.
West Kentucky Community and Technical College
West Kentucky Community and Technical College is a public community college in Paducah, Kentucky. Their mission is, “West Kentucky Community and Technical College promotes equity as we champion student success, provide excellence in teaching and learning, and advance economic development within a diverse and inclusive campus community.”
West Kentucky Community and Technical College is recognized for its bold and transformative initiative led by the WKCTC President in 2021-22 to holistically review and address gaps in student success outcomes, demonstrating WKCTC’s deep dedication to improving the college experience for first-generation, underrepresented minority (URM), low-income, rural, and adult learners.
Nominations & Eligibility
What are the categories for which nominations are being accepted?
There are two categories for the Award: Two-Year Institutions, private or public, Four-Year Institutions, private or public.
Who can submit a nomination?
Nominations should come from the CEO’s office of the nominated institution. Alternatively, the nomination can be an official designee of the CEO and/or a letter of support from the CEO.
Who is eligible to be nominated for the Award?
Postsecondary institutions that have taken active steps to successfully mitigate student performance gaps.
Is there an entry fee to nominate someone for the Award?
There is no entry fee. It is free to submit a nomination.
Can I submit an international nomination for any of the Award categories?
Yes, all categories are open to international nominations.
Can I submit multiple nominations?
No, we request only one submission per institution per year.
Can I nominate someone who was nominated in prior years?
Yes, past nominees are eligible for resubmission.
How long should my responses be for the open-ended prompts?
Responses to each of the prompts should be a minimum of 100 characters and a maximum of 750 characters.
Can I submit supplemental materials for consideration?
Yes, we ask that you submit three forms of supporting materials to saraj@jngi.org.
Can we save our nomination prior to submitting and complete it at a later time?
No, the nomination must be completed in one sitting. We recommend writing all responses in a separate document, then copying them into the nomination form when you are ready to submit. Download a PDF of Form here.
Is it possible to edit the nomination after it has been submitted?
No, it is not possible to alter a nomination that has been submitted, but you can email locke@gardnerinstitute.org if you need to correct or supply any additional information. No changes or updates to a nomination will be accepted after the deadline.
When will the Honorees be announced?
The Awardees will be announced in October 2025 at A Symposium on Transforming the Foundational Postsecondary Experience in Chicago, IL. Join our mailing list to receive details as they become available.
Other questions?
Questions may be directed to Sara Stein Koch, Ph.D., Gardner Institute’s Fellow and Senior Associate for Institutional Support at saraj@jngi.org.
