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Striving for Excellence

Striving for Excellence

The Striving for Excellence program will be retired after the 2025 Conference. For this year, schools can still apply for either initial or renewal Striving for Excellence status. The program is being replaced with our new NCEMSF MERIT Recognition Program, which contains new requirements that better reflect the current state of high-achieving EMS organizations. Beginning with the 2026 Conference, only the NCEMSF MERIT Recognition Program will be awarded, and Striving for Excellence will not be offered. 

The National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation "Striving for Excellence in Campus EMS" recognition program is a self-evaluation program for campus EMS organizations. Eligible organizations include institutional members of NCEMSF. These are EMS organizations that are affiliated with an institution of higher education. This recognition program is oriented to operational EMS organizations that provide basic life support and/or advanced life support services such as quick response, ambulance transport, or special events medical services.

The evaluation is a self-appraisal of campus based EMS organizations assessing quality factors in EMS operations including the delivery of care, training and continuing education of employees and volunteers, and service to the community. The intent of this program is to recognize quality campus EMS organizations and hold them out as examples to other campus EMS organizations that are newly starting or are still developing their programs. Information from this program may be shared by NCEMSF with other campus EMS organizations in consulting, seminars, and written material for the purpose of helping organizations improve the quality of EMS.

Campus EMS organizations completing and submitting this self-appraisal packet with recommendations for recognition will be acknowledged by NCEMSF and recognized for a three year period with a "Striving for Excellence" award.

The Striving for Excellence program was retired after the 2025 Conference. The program is replaced with our NCEMSF MERIT Recognition Program, which contains new requirements that better reflect the current state of high-achieving EMS organizations.

Striving for Excellence Recipients

The following is a list of the Striving for Excellence recipients. Striving for Excellence is a three-year certification, and the year listed is the start of the three-year recognition period. Renewals of the Striving for Excellence designation are indicated by (R). 

  • 1999 - Brandeis University, Pennsylvania State University, Rice University, Syracuse University, University of Dayton, University of Delaware, University of Rhode Island
  • 2000 - Columbia University, St. Bonaventure University, Texas A&M University EMS, Tufts University
  • 2001 - Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY Albany, Villanova University
  • 2002 - Emory University, Pennsylvania State University (R), Rice University (R), Stony Brook University, Texas A&M University Rec Sports Medics, University of Dayton (R), University of Delaware (R)
  • 2003 - Columbia University (R), John Carroll University, Loyola Marymount University, Montclair State University
  • 2004 - Binghamton University, George Washington University, Rochester Institute of Technology (R), Syracuse University (R), University of Rhode Island (R)
  • 2005   Duke University, Montclair State University (R), Pennsylvania State University (R), Rice University (R), Tulane University, University of Delaware (R), Villanova University (R), Virginia Tech
  • 2006 - Columbia University (R), Loyola Marymount University (R), University of Dayton (R)
  • 2007 - Binghamton University (R), Brandeis University (R), Georgetown University, George Washington University (R), University of  Pennsylvania, University of Windsor
  • 2008 - Carnegie Mellon University, Emory University (R), Pennsylvania State University (R), Syracuse University (R), SUNY Albany (R), Tulane University (R), University of Massachusets – Lowell
  • 2009 - Columbia University (R), Cornell University, Muhlenberg College, Rice University (R), University of Dayton (R), University of Delaware (R), University of Rhode Island (R)
  • 2010 - Georgetown University (R), University of Pennsylvania (R), University of Windsor (R)
  • 2011   College of Charleston, Columbia University (R), Syracuse University (R), Temple University, University of Wisconsin 
  • 2012 - Emory University (R), Rice University (R)
  • 2013 - Cornell University (R), Binghamton University (R), University of Massachusetts - Lowel, University of Pennsylvania (R)
  • 2014 - Arizona State University, College of Charleston (R), Georgetown Emergency Response Medical Service (R), Rochester Institute of Technology Ambulance (R), University of Richmond EMS, PennState University Ambulance Service
  • 2015 - Emory University (R), Fordham University, Rice University (R), Temple University (R), The George Washington University (R), University of Dayton (R)
  • 2016 - Columbia University (R), University of Massachusetts - Lowell (R), University of Pennsylvania (R), Virginia Tech (R)
  • 2017 - Arizona State University (R), Dartmouth College, Drexel Universirty, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Syracuse University (R), University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign, Washington University - St. Louis.
  • 2018 - Carnegie Mellon University EMS (R), Emory university EMS (R), Fordham University EMS, Georgetown Emergency response Medical Service (R), George Washington Emergency Medical Response Group (R), Harpur's Ferry Student Volunteer Ambulance Serivce (R), Rice University EMS (R), St. Michael's Ambulance, Tufts EMS (R), Western Carolina University EMS.
  • 2019 - Columbia University (R), SUNY Albany, University of Massachusetts - Lowell (R), Stony Brook University (R), University of Dayton (R)
  • 2020 - Universirty of California - Davis, University of Delaware, Universirty of Pennsylvania (R), Washington University - St. Louis
  • 2021 - Fordham University (R), Rice University (R), St. Michael's College (R), Tulane University, University of Binghamton (R), Western Carolina University (R)
  • 2022 - Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, University of Albany, University of Arizona, University of Dayton (R), University of Massachusetts - Amherst
  • 2023 - Indiana University Bloomington, University of Denver, University of Texas - Dallas; Case Western Reserve University (R), Columbia University (R), University of Pennsylvania (R), University of California - Davis (R), University of Delaware (R), Virginia Tech (R)
  • 2024 - Harvard University, Quinnipiac University, Renselear Polytechnic Institute, Rowan University, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, Binghamton University (R), Emory University (R), Georgetown University (R), George WAshington University (R), Rice University (R), Stony Brook Univeristy (R), Washington University - St. Louis
  • 2025 - Hobart and William Smitt College, University of Maine, SUNY Albany (R)