Winners Announced for 2024 Campus Awards

The 2024 winners of some of TCU’s prestigious university awards are official. Read
on for details on the honorees, who were celebrated at the Welcome & Opening Luncheon.

Ferrari Award

The winner of the 2024 Michael R. Ferrari Award for Distinguished University Service
and Leadership is Candice Payne, assistant vice chancellor, budget and financial planning.

“Candice devotes her time, energy and expertise to TCU in a multitude of ways that
demonstrate her commitment to the university’s fiscal endeavors and inclusive excellence,”
one nominator wrote. 

“Not only is Candice a subject matter expert, but she also has a unique ability to
navigate challenging situations with a combination of humor, grace and extreme professionalism,”
wrote another. “Her approach to handling tough scenarios is a testament to her resilience
and leadership skills.”

Payne joined TCU in 2018 and has been instrumental in growing the finance department’s
relationship with campus partners. This past year, she went above and beyond her role,
working with the TCU community on the inaugural Black Excellence Gala.

The Ferrari Award was established by the TCU Board of Trustees to honor the former
chancellor and recognize the extraordinary situational leadership accomplishments
above job or position expectations of a faculty or staff member. Finalists are selected
by an appointed committee and submitted to the president for the selection of a winner.
It carries with it a prize of $5,000 for the winner and $1,000 for each finalist.

Chancellor’s Staff Award 

The winner of the 2024 Chancellor’s Staff Award for Outstanding Service is Victoria
Chen, executive director, scholarships and financial aid. Chen has worked through
a challenging year.

“While the Department of Education has faced fiery backlash for the flawed rollout
of the 2024-2025 FAFSA,” wrote a nominator, “Victoria has been able to keep TCU in
a position of strength and has worked to minimize the impact to current and prospective
students.”

Chen worked to utilize other resources to provide advanced aid notification to families,
 oversaw the implementation of a virtual chat system to answer student questions online
around the clock, and helped launch the internal grant application for TCU Neeley’s
differential tuition.

Created in 2003, the Chancellor’s Staff Award recognizes a staff member for exemplary
service and contributions to the welfare of the campus community. One finalist is chosen from each division, and each receives $1,000. The winner is chosen by the
chancellor and receives a prize of $5,000.

DEI Award

Carrie Liu Currier is this year’s winner of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award.
Currier is an associate professor and the outgoing chair of the Department of Political
Science.

“As a teacher, Dr. Currier’s deep commitment to DEI is evident in the nature of the
courses she teaches and in the way she operates her classes,” wrote one of her colleagues.
“She structures the coursework around strategies to move students out of their own
perspectives to see those of others.”

Currier’s work focuses on women and politics, and earlier this year, she received
the Race & Reconciliation Initiative Plume Award for her work in launching the Interdisciplinary
Asian Studies Minor in the AddRan College of Liberal Arts.

The DEI Award honors the important work of further transforming the TCU community
into one that not only celebrates the university mission but also creates a world-class
university built on a heritage of inclusion. Faculty and staff may nominate any individual.
Finalists are selected by the DEI Award Committee, which provides recommendations
to the president. The winner receives $5,000, and finalists receive $1,000.

More Fall 2024 Awards

The winners of the Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Achievement, the Wassenich
Award for Mentoring in the TCU Community and the Maryrose and Dan Short Award for
Teaching Excellence will be announced at upcoming private events. 

Read about the finalists on TCU News.

For faculty and staff who missed their gift at the Welcome and Opening Luncheon, you
may pick up your gift at the front desk of The Harrison.