Staff Excellence Awards

Staff Excellence Awards

Faculty, staff, and students in the college are invited to submit nominations for a Staff Excellence Award, as described below.

Purpose

The College of Education (COE) at Washington State University has established the College of Education Staff Excellence Awards to recognize truly outstanding accomplishments and contributions of classified and exempt staff.  The awards are designed to honor staff members who demonstrate the highest levels of leadership, performance, and excellence in pursuit of the college’s academic and professional goals and, thereby, the fulfillment of its mission.

Nominations for the awards are solicited annually in two categories.  These categories are:

• Staff Excellence in Service
• Staff Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

SELECTION COMMITTEE COMPOSITION & TERM OF SERVICE

The Selection Committee will have representation from at least two regional campuses, and will be comprised of five staff members, representing each of these units. The assistant to the dean will request appointment by the unit head from these units:

• Department of Educational Leadership and Sport Management
• Department of Kinesiology & Educational Psychology (includes PEACT)
• Department of Teaching & Learning (includes field services and certification)
• Dean’s Office (includes development, finance, graduate studies, informational technology, student services)
• One former award winner

Beginning in 2020, recipients of the awards will be considered for appointment to the selection committee in the following year, as long as the representation requirements of the committee are maintained.

The term of service will be two years, with approximately half of the membership returning each year.

SELECTION COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES

The assistant to the dean schedules the meeting of the selection committee and ensures members have the application materials.  At that meeting each year, the committee will select one of its members to serve as “Chair.”  The Chair is responsible for facilitating the selection process and for conveying the committee’s selection to the dean.

AWARD ELIGIBILITY

All civil service and exempt staff members are eligible to be nominated for one or both of the Staff Excellence Awards (Excellence in Service and Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) if they have been employed in the College of Education for at least 12 months and if they have not been recipients of the award within the past three years.

Nomination and selection process

An eligible person can be nominated by any member of the College of Education who has in-depth knowledge of the activities of the person. Self-nominations may also be made.   There are two categories for this award. Two awards can be made from the same category or one award from each category, depending on nominations.

Nominations must be submitted to the College of Education via the nomination form found at: https://education.wsu.edu/college/facultystaffawards/staffawards/ and submitted by March 18, Nominators may include other materials or optional letters of support as deemed useful in illustrating the nominee’s contributions and achievements.

The selection committee may elect not to give an award if nominations are not received or if the evidence of excellence is not compelling.

PRESENTATION OF AWARDS

Each award, consisting of a certificate and letter of recognition from the dean of the college and a $1,000 cash award will be presented by the dean at an appropriate event as a way of recognizing the contribution of the recipient and of reaffirming the college’s dedication to excellence in its activities.  The names of staff award recipients will be listed on the COE webpage (https://education.wsu.edu/college/facultystaffawards/ ) and  placed on a plaque that will be prominently displayed in the College of Education.

Nominees who were not selected shall receive letters of notification in the week following the awards ceremony to inform them that they were nominated.

AWARD CRITERIA: STAFF EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE

This award recognizes staff members whose job performance exceeds customary standards or who exhibit exemplary skills or dedication in the performance of special projects. Award recipients will have made a significant impact on the University through outstanding leadership, job proficiency, service to students, and creative problem solving, as demonstrated by one or more of the following:

Leadership and Job Proficiency | Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Developed, or made a significant contribution to, a process or system that resulted in improved functioning, efficiency, and/or effectiveness.
• Demonstrated an exceptional level of program, departmental, or intuitional knowledge and proficiency that added significant value to a workplace project, initiative, or service to students.
• Provided leadership and/or assumed responsibility for key programmatic, departmental, or institutional initiatives.

Service to Students, Faculty, and Colleagues | Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Created or improved systems that serve students and/or increased student satisfaction (including prospective students and alumni).
• Fostered collaboration, communication, and cooperation with faculty, among colleagues and with members of the campus community with exceptional skill and sensitivity
• Facilitated the success of others, either through supervision, teamwork, or individual assistance.

Initiative and Problem Solving | Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Developed or suggested solutions to issues that resulted in more effective and efficient operations at the program, departmental, or college level.
• Developed new procedures or practices that increased efficiency or resulted in a better use of resources.
• Exhibited a commitment to personal or professional development that provided added value to their role and functioning within the unit.

AWARD CRITERIA: STAFF EXCELLENCE IN DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

This award recognizes staff members who have made significant contributions in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, broadly conceived, as an essential component of the college’s quest for excellence. This may include efforts to recruit, support, and retain diverse students, as well as initiation and implementation of practices and procedures that expand our understanding of inclusiveness, as demonstrated by one or more of the following:

• Promoted and actively cultivated a program, department, or campus environment that is welcoming, supportive, and nurturing of cultural, ethnic, racial, class, gender, sexual orientation, language and other human differences.
• Demonstrated a commitment to promoting access, equity, and success for all students, staff, and faculty in the COE.
• Contributed to raising awareness and consciousness among students, faculty, and other staff about diversity and inclusion within the context of the university’s mission and for the greater good of students in the College of Education.
• Participated or took a leadership role in diversity and inclusion activities that directly impacted students, faculty and staff.