2026 Robert Einsweiler Award
An RCP-sponsored capstone project by students at the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs received the 2026 Robert Einsweiler Award, which is decided by the Master of Urban and Regional planning faculty and awarded at the end of the academic year. Awards are determined based on projects that illuminate political dimensions of planning and project implementation; demonstrate high quality research/analysis; present sound recommendations for action; and demonstrate creativity and originality of thought. The student team of Joseph Adcock, Eleanor Fitzwilliams, Liam Mueller, Ayden Schaffler, and Amelia Thibault received the award for their final capstone project in PA 8081, taught by Peter Brown, titled "Afton Outdoors: Creating a Proactive Planning Process for Neighborhood Trail Development," which developed a robust public engagement plan and criteria-based suitability analysis to help the City of Afton determine where potential trails could be located. The award was presented at the Humphrey School commencement on May 16, 2026.
2024 APA MN Outstanding Student Project Award
An RCP-sponsored capstone project by students at the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs received the 2024 Outstanding Student Project Award from the Minnesota Chapter of the American Planning Association. For their project in PA 8081, graduate students Gillian Greenberg, Edgar Leon Gomez, and Mason Mollberg, and course instructor Peter Brown, on a project titled "To Acknowledge and to Celebrate: Indigenous Placemaking on Hoocak and Dakota Homelands." The award was presented at the 2024 APA Minnesota State Conference in Rochester, Minnesota, from September 16–18, 2024.
2021 Student Leadership and Service President’s Award
Graduate student and RCP Scholar Catherine J. Bruns received the prestigious University of Minnesota President's Student Leadership and Service Award. The award recognizes her many accomplishments as a doctoral student in Communications Studies, including partnering with the Resilient Communities Project and the City of Little Canada to create and implement an inclusive community engagement plan for the community.
2020 MetroLab Student Cup RCP Scholars Finalists
An RCP Scholars team was selected as a finalist for the MetroLab Student Cup, a national competition that recognizes exceptional student civic research projects. The RCP Fellows team of graduate students Catherine J. Bruns (Liberal Arts), Gunnar Carlson (Public Affairs), Kendra Klenz (Design), Kyle Franta (Design), and Vipasha Bansal (Liberal Arts) submitted their work on a project with the City of Little Canada to facilitate equitable community engagement around master planning for the community's Pioneer Park.
2017 APA MN Outstanding Student Project Award
An RCP-sponsored project by students at the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs received the 2017 Outstanding Student Project Award from the Minnesota Chapter of the American Planning Association. For their project in PA 5213: Introduction to Site Planning, graduate students Kevin Priestly, Andrew Degerstrom, and Joe Lampe collaborated with Brooklyn Park staff Jason Newby and John Nerge, and course instructor Dr. Fernando Burga, on a project titled “Find It, Cook It, Save It: From Healthy Food Access to Food Hub Recycling in Brooklyn Park.” The award was presented at the 2017 APA Minnesota State Conference in Mankato, MN, September 27–29, 2017.
2017 Gross Family Management and Leadership Award
An RCP-sponsored project by students at the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs received the 2017 Gross Family Management and Leadership Award, which recognizes the best individual and team papers focused on management, leadership, or public service delivery in public or nonprofit organizations or networks. Papers must address a significant issue in the management and leadership of nonprofits, philanthropy, public agencies, and/or collaborations; demonstrate high-quality research and analysis of the issue; present sound recommendations for action, and demonstrate creativity and originality of thought. The team of Jargalmaa Erdenemandakh, Laura Langer, and Emily Coppersmith received the award for their final project in PA 5311: Program Evaluation, taught by Dr. Jodi Sandfort, which evaluated the impact of the City of Brooklyn Park's Community Rebranding Initiative. The award was presented at the Humphrey School commencement on May 13, 2017.
2016 APA MN Outstanding Student Project Award
An RCP-sponsored capstone project by students at the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs received the Outstanding Student Project Award from the Minnesota Chapter of the American Planning Association. For their Participating in Policy and Planning Capstone, graduate students Chuck Demler, Kaela Dickens, Joseph Hartmann, Laurel Nightingale, and Kalli Perano collaborated with project lead and Carver County Parks and Trails supervisor Sam Pertz and UMN faculty advisor Kathy Quick on a project titled “Increasing Engagement with Communities of Color: A Toolkit for Carver County Parks and Recreation.” The award was presented at the 2016 Upper Midwest Regional/APA Minnesota State Conference in St. Cloud, MN, September 28–30, 2016.
2016 PEER Award
The Resilient Communities Project–Carver County partnership received the 2016 Carver County Public Employee Excellence Recognition (PEER) Program award in the Project-Based Teamwork category. The award was presented at the May 17, 2016, Carver County Board of Commissioners meeting.
View a video of the awards presentation
2016 Outstanding Community Partner Award
RCP’s 2015-16 community partner, Carver County, received the 2016 Outstanding Community Partner Award from the Educational Partnership for Innovation in Communities (EPIC) Network. The award, which recognizes “one exemplary community partner” from among the local government partners that have worked with EPIC Network programs during the last five years, was presented at the 5th Annual Sustainable City Year Conference, held in San Diego, CA, March 13-16, 2016.
2015 Excellence and Innovation in Graduate Education Award
The Resilient Communities Project was selected as the 2015 recipient of the MAGS/ETS Excellence and Innovation in Graduate Education Award. Jointly sponsored by the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) and Educational Testing Service (ETS), this annual award is given to a MAGS member institution in recognition of outstanding contributions to domestic and international graduate education at both the graduate school and program level.
2014 APA MN Outstanding Student Project Award
An RCP-sponsored capstone project by students at the University of Minnesota's Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs received the Outstanding Student Project Award from the Minnesota Chapter of the American Planning Association. For their economic development capstone, students Charles Darnell, Robert Clarksen, and William Boulay worked with project lead and North St. Paul economic development director Paul Ammerman, under the direction of Lee Munnich and Lyssa Leitner, on a project titled "Assessing the Viability of a Business Improvement District in North St. Paul." The award was presented at the annual MnAPA Conference in Duluth, Minnesota.
2013 APA MN Outstanding Student Project Award
An RCP-sponsored capstone project by students at the University of Minnesota's Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs received the Outstanding Student Project Award from the Minnesota Chapter of the American Planning Association. For their land use and transportation planning capstone, Master of Urban and Regional Planning students Kyle Burrows, Kristina Nesse, Andrew Owen, and Renan Snowden worked with project lead and Minnetonka planner Jeff Thomson and UMN faculty advisor Mike Greco on a transportation demand management policy for the City of Minnetonka. The award was presented at the annual MnAPA Conference in Rochester, MN, September 18-20, 2013.