EXTENDED DEADLINE 2025 Oliver Chapman Award nominations

Each year, the International Club, with the support of the International Center, chooses and awards the Oliver Chapman Leadership and Community Service Award. Since its inception in 1993, the Chapman Award recognizes a senior who has demonstrated leadership through involvement in the international community at Tufts.

Award winners are nominated by their peers and members of the Tufts community and selected by a committee consisting of I-Club officers, leaders from different cultural and ethnic organizations at Tufts, and members of the International Center staff.

2025 nominations are now open until Wednesday, February 26th – you can access the nomination form here.

NOTE: please be sure that you are answering ALL questions fully and submitting at the end– we’ve received a number of incomplete / blank nominations which will not be considered. Thank you! 

About the Chapman Award

The Chapman Award was established in the spring of 1993 in memory of Oliver Chapman. Oliver was an undergraduate student from Panama who passed away in May of 1992. Oliver had many friends within the international community, was loved by all who knew him and he was always ready to help others. Oliver’s openness to other cultures allowed many people to learn from each other through their interactions with him. Oliver is also remembered by his friends as having an incredible smile, and was very well-liked by his peers. While at Tufts he had been involved with the International Orientation Program and served as an International Student Host Advisor. Additionally, he was an executive officer of the Latin American Society.

Nominee Criteria

In considering nominees for this award, the committee is looking for a senior who has been active with the international community whether on-campus, in the Greater Boston area, or internationally. Ideally, the nominee is a person who has reached out to others and who has had an impact on the lives of Tufts students or to a group or community outside of Tufts. The nominee should demonstrate a love for humanity through his/her involvement in extracurricular activities.

One previous Chapman Award recipient was given this honor based on her initiative to create a cross-cultural peer support group for Tufts students who faced cultural adjustment issues to American college life. Another recipient was one of the primary individuals who brought to the campus an awareness of the needs of Latino students at Tufts. One volunteered, working with a local immigrant population, teaching English as a Second Language. Another dedicated his time to raising awareness of, and fundraising for, financial aid to international students. In all of the above examples, the most striking characteristic of each student was their ability to give unselfishly to others while never expecting to receive any recognition for their efforts.

In considering nominees for the Oliver Chapman Leadership and Community Service Award, the committee asks you to think about the qualities described above when making your nomination. The recipient will receive an individual plaque recognizing his/her award and his/her name will be inscribed on a permanent plaque listing all previous recipients that hangs in the International Center.