The committee is composed of a diverse group of Americans and international leaders from government, business, entertainment and media. Each committee member is a national leader in their field with a strong interest in one of the program’s themes (Civic Dialogue and Peacebuilding, Open and Participatory Government, Women and Gender, and Environmental Sustainability).
The selection process is an inherently subjective exercise that requires the judgment of individual committee members. Despite the vast amount of information available to them, they must use their qualitative and quantitative judgments and experience to determine who deserves to win the prize. This often takes hours of discussion and the consideration of a myriad of factors. Computer models are not accurate enough to handle these considerations and they do not account for all the nuances that go into making such decisions.
Each member’s evaluation of the candidates must be based on the evidence presented to them and the criteria laid out in the prize’s description and principle guidelines. During the deliberation process, each member is expected to be open and honest in their discussions with the other members of the committee. The chair sets the tone for discussions, reminds the members of their obligations and responsibilities and takes notes throughout the process. It is also the responsibility of the chair to ensure that confidentiality is maintained and that conflict of interest rules are followed.
For example, a member who has a connection to the school that is being discussed (whether it be their alma mater, their current employer, or a school where they currently work with a student) must recuse themselves from both voting and discussion on the topic when the team in question is being considered. In addition, revotes can occur so that the committee does not have to reach a consensus on its top 25 until the committee is ready to do so on Tuesdays.
The committee’s decision is not final until it decides on a top 25 of schools to recommend for the prize and votes on that recommendation in a closed meeting. Once the results of the vote are known, the chairman announces the winning school and its name. The committee members may revote if they do not agree with the outcome of the vote, but they must support at least three contiguous ranking slots in order to trigger a revote.
After the women’s world team selection camp in Katy, Texas, this week, the ASC will name its six-member squad for next month’s world championships and the five traveling alternates. The selection camp will feature 19 gymnasts, including the likes of Olympic champions Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles, as well as 2022 world champions Skye Blakely and Leanne Wong.
The committee also will select a four-person team for the 2023 Pan American Games, as well as up to three non-traveling alternates. The selection camp will feature competitions on Friday and Saturday, with the highest-scoring team advancing to the tournament. During qualifying at the world championships and Olympics, teams put up four gymnasts on each event.