A&S Dean's Staff Awards

1. General Policy

a. Three categories of awards are included in this annual program. All awards include a cash award of $1,000 and an engraved plaque.

i. Excellence in Academic Advising recognizes an individual who demonstrates excellence in undergraduate academic advising in the College of Arts & Sciences by going above and beyond the typical advising responsibilities and demonstrates specific patterns of excellence such as improvements and innovations in the field of academic advising.

ii. Excellence in Support recognizes an individual who exceeds their daily job duties in contributing to the welfare of students, faculty, staff, and to the success and goals of their unit and the College of Arts & Sciences through their accomplishments at work.

iii. Excellence in Leadership recognizes an individual who contributes to the success and goals of the College of Arts & Sciences by demonstrating strong leadership and supervisory skills and motivating others to serve at the same level of excellence.

b. Eligibility

For all levels of awards, the nominee must meet the following eligibility criteria at the time of their nomination:

i. Have been continuously employed as benefits-eligible staff within the College of Arts & Sciences for at least one year;

ii. Be up-to-date in all training and employment requirements for the university and state;

iii. Have a current performance evaluation on file with Human Resources and have received an overall rating of “strong performer” or above;

iv. Not have received a Dean's Staff Award in the last three years, and;

v. Not hold a faculty appointment or title as outlined in OP 32.17, with the exception of the title of “Instructor.”

c. Evaluation Criteria

Eligible nominees will be evaluated on the basis of specific examples of excellence, including, but not limited to: going “above and beyond” typical job responsibilities, improvements in processes or procedures, innovations in use of resources to meet departmental and/or college goals, creative approaches to problem-solving, strong customer service skills, and attendance at professional development, outreach, and/or community engagement activities.

2. Selection Procedure

a. Call for Nominations

Nominations will be solicited using college and departmental mailings beginning in the spring prior to award selection.

b. Selection Committee

The selection committee will consist of a minimum of five people and may be comprised of faculty and/or staff chosen by the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, with the majority of the committee consisting of staff. The Chair of the committee will be a staff member appointed by the Dean and will work with the Dean to select the committee members. Award recipients may be asked to serve on the Selection Committee in the year following their award.

c. Nominators

Any College of Arts & Sciences employee may initiate a nomination for any award.

d. Nomination Packet

All nominees must accept their nomination to be eligible for an award. Complete nomination packets will be due by the due date established each year, and incomplete packets will not be evaluated. Nomination packets must consist of the online nomination information form and at least one letter of recommendation completed by a someone within the College of Arts & Sciences. Additional letters of recommendation may be submitted to include with the nomination packet.

3. Right to Change Policy

The College of Arts & Sciences reserves the right to interpret, change, modify, amend, or rescind this policy, in whole or in part, at any time without the consent of employees.