April Belback won the UERU Leadership Award

April Belback, associate vice provost for student success and advising, received the Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities (UERU) Leadership Award, the organization’s highest honor.

Established in 2025 in recognition of UERU’s 25th anniversary, the Leadership Award is conferred on no more than two individuals at each biannual Undergraduate Vice Provost meeting. The award recognizes extraordinary volunteer service and sustained contributions to advancing UERU’s mission of improving undergraduate education at research universities.

Belback was recognized for her leadership in building UERU’s Advising Administration Community of Practice (AACoP) into one of the association’s most active and impactful communities. Thanks to her leadership, AACoP has expanded its reach and influence in recent years, not least of which is its role in Pitt’s annual Mentoring and Advising Summit which reaches more than 3,000 advising practitioners globally.

“In establishing the UERU Leadership Award, the Board sought to recognize a form of leadership that is sustained, generative and oriented toward the collective advancement of undergraduate education at research universities,” said Steven P. Dandaneau, UERU’s executive director and associate provost at Colorado State University. “Dr. Belback’s work exemplifies how rigorous, intentional community-building can produce structures of lasting value.”