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Again this year, the University is seeking nominations for its 2001 Professional and Salaried Staff Merit Award programs for outstanding contributions by professional and salaried staff employees. All employees are encouraged to recommend colleagues who, they believe, should be recognized for outstanding performance or for the implementation of innovative procedures that have benefited UD during the last year.
According to Maxine Colm, vice president for administration, each year, the Professional and Salaried Staff Merit Award programs provide an opportunity to recognize up to 150 individuals on the campus with a one-time cash award.
"University-wide participation in the nominating process is important to the success of the annual merit award program," Colm said. "We encourage UD employees to help identify colleagues who have made significant contributions to the University community during the past year. By doing so, we are better able to recognize the accomplishments of a number of outstanding individuals."
Recommendations are due by March 15 to the appropriate officers of administration. Their recommendations must be forwarded by April 15 to Colm. After approval by President David P. Roselle, the honorees will be announced to the campus community.
On April 30, a reception will be held, and the honorees' names will be published in UpDate, Colm said.
For more information on professional and salaried staff nominations procedures and other details, visit the web site at [www.udel.edu/EmployeeTraining/merit.html] or contact Richie Holland, manager of human resources, at 831-2059.
Professional staff
Purpose: An annual program to identify and acknowledge meritorious performance among designated elements of the University's professional workforce. Recipients receive a one-time cash bonus of $1,000.
Criteria: Eligible professional staff members are nominated for outstanding performance during the designated calendar year. Performance must relate to (a) the introduction of new or innovative procedures in the workplace; (b) the adoption of demonstrable/significant cost saving mechanisms or techniques; (c) significant personal contributions that contributed directly to the achievement of approved departmental or University goals; or (d) the provision of outstanding service to members of the University or the citizens of Delaware.
Eligibility: Program is open to active, permanent full-time and permanent part-time professional staff with at least one year of University service. Officers of administration, deans, chairs, directors of major functions and other defined senior professionals are excluded.
Nomination process: Recommendations for recognition may be initiated by the individual, peers or supervisor. Each nomination may include up to three endorsements from other University employees who do not report directly to the nominee but are qualified to assess his/her performance.
The president, provost, executive vice president or vice president will determine an appropriate internal mechanism (such as a small screening panel) to review nominations in units under their area of responsibility. This process must be communicated to all professionals in the unit.
The panel, or other review mechanism, will screen all nominations, verify that the criteria given above have been met and make recommendations of finalists to the president, provost, executive vice president or appropriate vice president. Other sources to consider in screening nominations can include annual performance evaluations, letters of commendation or other comparable documents. The vice president for administration, as account administrator, approves the award recipients after consulting with the president.
Acknowledgment letter: At the completion of the merit award selection process, an acknowledgment letter should be issued by the president, provost, executive vice president or appropriate vice president to inform professional staff of the award recipient(s) and to recognize publicly their outstanding performance. The president, provost, executive vice president or appropriate vice president should also include the names of other nominees and the reason(s) for their nomination.
Number of awards: Awards will be allocated in a manner roughly proportional to the number of eligible professionals within the president's, provost's, executive vice president's and each vice president's area of responsibility.
Salaried staff
Purpose: The purpose of the Salaried Staff Merit Award Program is to recognize selected salaried staff for their outstanding performances during the preceding calendar year. One hundred awards will be available annually; each award will be a cash bonus in the amount of $500.
Eligibility: Participation in the Merit Award Program is available to all active, permanent full-time and permanent part-time salaried staff who have been in their current unit for the 2001 calendar year and who have not received the award in the previous year. The Office of Human Resources shall be responsible for generating and distributing to each unit a list of eligible award recipients. The units, in turn, shall be responsible for distributing the list to each of its employees.
Nomination procedures: The president, provost, executive vice president or appropriate vice president shall ensure that specific nomination procedures to identify candidates for merit awards are developed within the administrative units under their supervision.
These nomination procedures should be broadly announced well in advance of the selection process and, while they may include some procedures specific to certain units, they must include all of the procedures outlined in this document. Nominations can take the form of self-nomination as well as nomination by University co-workers, immediate supervisors and unit administrators.
All nominations must be submitted in writing and cite evidence of how the nominees' performances would qualify them for receipt of awards.
Selection criteria and supporting documentation: The final selection of merit award recipients rests with the president, provost, executive vice president or appropriate vice president. In selecting award recipients, the president, provost, executive vice president or appropriate vice president must consider only the meritorious performance or unique contributions made by the nominee. Selection decisions must be supported by appropriate written documentation in the form of nominations which substantiate claims of meritorious performance or unique contributions to the unit.
Notification: It is the responsibility of the unit head or administrator to notify employees of their nomination for the merit award. The president, provost, executive vice president or appropriate vice president shall notify unit administrators of selection decisions. Unit administrators are responsible for notifying salaried staff selected for merit awards prior to any University-wide announcement. The names of all award recipients will be published by the Office of Human Resources in UpDate.
Inquiries: Salaried staff who have questions, comments or concerns relating to their unit's nomination and selection procedures should be encouraged to discuss these issues with their immediate supervisor. If necessary, however, such concerns can be submitted through the president, provost, executive vice president or appropriate vice president to the vice president for administration for review and decisions.
Nomination information
Nominations must be submitted by March 15, along with relevant supporting documentation. Nominations should include a cover sheet with the following information:
Nominee's name
Job title and department
Nominee's immediate supervisor
Nominator's name
Job title and department
Relationship to the nominee
Description of specific performance or other documentation that qualifies the nominee for the merit award
If the nomination is submitted to recognize significant personal contributions or service, show how these actions exceed the scope of performance normally expected of a staff member. Indicate the names, job titles and departments of others who can verify the outstanding performance of the nominee.
Signature of nominator
Date of submission
Feb 18,2002
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