The Professional Development and Recognition Committee (PDRC) of the Academic Staff Assembly invites the nomination of eligible academic staff for the 2006-2007 Academic Staff Excellence Awards. For guidance in selecting an appropriate category, please contact the current PDRC co-chairs: Lisa Jansen (eajansen@wisc.edu, 2-1126) or Donna Cole (dmcole@wisc.edu, 5-8107).

ELIGIBILITY FOR AWARDS

Nominees must be employed 50% time or greater. Nominees must have been members of the UW-Madison academic staff for a minimum of five years. For the purposes of these awards, emeritus faculty are not considered academic staff.

THE AWARDS

Nine prestigious awards (in seven categories) recognizing excellence by members of the UW-Madison academic staff are presented annually:

The Chancellor’s Hilldale Award for Excellence in Teaching (one award)

The primary mission of the UW-Madison, and one of its greatest strengths, is the instruction that it provides to students. Academic staff members teach classes and support the instruction received by thousands of students each semester.

Those nominated for this award shall provide and support instruction.

The Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence in Research (two awards)

UW-Madison is one of the nation’s largest public research universities. Academic staff members serving as principal investigators or as project research personnel perform critical research functions and make possible the advancement of knowledge and the service to humankind that results. Candidates will be considered in different arenas as follows:

Individuals functioning as an independent investigator (one award)

Individuals providing critical research support (one award)

Those nominated for these awards shall conduct or support the university’s research mission in roles such as, but not limited to, scientists, researchers or information specialists.

 

 

The Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Service to the University (one award)

Many academic staff members consistently go beyond the responsibilities of their positions and demonstrate outstanding sustained service and dedication to the university as well as to their individual units. It is this type of dedication that has made UW-Madison a world-class public research university.

Those nominated for this award shall have demonstrated outstanding, long-term personal commitment to the greater university community.

Wisconsin Alumni Association Awards for Excellence in Leadership (two awards)

Academic staff members from many arenas of responsibility make it possible for the university to serve the more than 50,000 people who work and study on the UW-Madison campus. Academic staff members may manage facilities, direct business services, or ensure the smooth functioning of classrooms, laboratories, libraries, and student service offices. The leadership awards will recognize nominees from different arenas of responsibility as follows:

Academic staff who demonstrate leadership at the college, school or the larger university community level (one award).

Academic staff who demonstrate leadership within an individual unit (one award).

Those nominated for these awards shall have demonstrated exceptional organizational leadership.

The Robert Heideman Award for Excellence in Public Service (one award)

Academic staff members play a key role in the state, national, and international public service mission of the university. Following the “Wisconsin Idea,” the UW-Madison enhances the economic vitality of the state, and the cultural and social life of residents by sharing knowledge, talents, and skills. Other academic staff members provide direct services to students or to the many people who use university facilities each year.

Those nominated for this award shall have responsibility for the direct provision of services that reflect the public service mission of the university.

 

 

Martha Casey Award for Dedicated Service to the University

The efforts and knowledge of a dedicated staff member at the university can make the difference between something functioning smoothly and efficiently and it working poorly or not at all. This award recognizes staff members who perform their assigned jobs outstandingly and thereby make things work. Nominees like their positions and generally have worked in them for a considerable period of time. They seek to help the university by working within their own areas, and their dedication to the university and its mission are obvious. The term “unsung hero” is often applied to them.

 

Nominees’ specific contributions may range from overseeing a key process in an administrative office, to analyzing data so that it is meaningful to decision makers, to providing the “institutional memory” for an office. Their expertise comes from day to day attention to detail, and they take pride in using their in depth knowledge to find constructive solutions to problems. This dedication may not receive wide recognition outside their own offices because their work is relatively specific to one area. However, people who do work with them or need to use their expertise quickly realize how essential they are and seek them out often.

Those nominated for this award demonstrate consistent dedication to outstanding day-to-day job performance.

The Ann Wallace Career Achievement Award (one award)

Each year, many academic staff members at the UW-Madison retire after making significant contributions to the campus. This award recognizes a retiring academic staff member who has provided distinguished service and leadership on behalf of academic staff across the campus. The individual need not have been actively involved in formal governance activities but might have made other contributions that helped academic staff beyond the employing unit. In addition, nominees must have had a distinguished career and must have demonstrated leadership and adherence to the highest level of professional standards in carrying out the duties of their positions.

Those nominated for this award shall be members of the academic staff who are retiring in the academic or calendar year in which the award is given and who have been UW-Madison academic staff members for at least 15 years.

GENERAL AWARD CRITERIA

Individuals may be nominated for only one of the annual UW-Madison Academic Staff Excellence Awards. The following criteria, in addition to the specific criteria listed with each award, will be considered in the review of nominations:

•           Outstanding Achievement and Performance: consistently and substantially exceeds the expectations of the position; has made important and significant contributions to the departmental unit; has furthered the mission of the university; has become a distinguished member of his/her profession campus-wide, systemwide, nationally, or internationally.

•           Personal Interaction: consistently and substantially demonstrates ability and willingness to work positively and effectively with others; demonstrates ability and willingness to manage changes in work priorities, procedures, and organization.

•           Initiative and Creativity: consistently and substantially demonstrates an innovative approach to the job, thereby improving productivity and the quality of the work assigned; demonstrates efforts to expand work responsibilities.

NOMINATION PACKET

The nomination packet shall contain supporting documents in the following order:

1.Nomination Cover Page.

2.Letter of nomination. Any staff member, faculty member, student, or member of the community may initiate the letter. To give the candidate the most favorable consideration, the letter of nomination should: a) describe how the nominee demonstrates excellence in the specific award category, and b) address the general award criteria.

3.Supporting letters. These letters of support (no more than four) shall come from people such as other staff members, faculty members, students, and members of the community and shall address the candidate’s qualifications for the specific award, not simply excellence of performance. Letters demonstrating a broad spectrum of support are often most effective.

4. A résumé or curriculum vita of applicable professional experiences and accomplishments.

5. Additional supporting material, provided at the discretion of the nominator.

6. For teaching awards, a succinct summary of teaching or course evaluations (rather than a collection of actual evaluations) must be included.

           

Nomination packets are reviewed by a committee, including previous Academic Staff Excellence Award winners and members of the Academic Staff Professional Development and Recognition Committee (PDRC). All nomination materials are confidential. No submitted materials will be returned unless requested by the nominator at the time of submission. 

The Academic Staff Excellence Awards are presented at a ceremony in the spring. The teaching award recipient receives $5,000. All other recipients receive $2,500. All receive a memento commemorating the award.

DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS – January 26, 2007

Submit an original and five complete copies of the nomination packet for all awards. Complete packets must be submitted to:

Colleen McCabe

Office of the Secretary of the Academic Staff

270 Bascom Hall

NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 2007.

The selection committee is on a very tight schedule so this deadline will be strictly enforced.

Packets received after the January deadline will not be considered. If you have any questions, please call Colleen McCabe, Secretary of the Academic Staff, at 263-2985 or email cmccabe@wisc.edu.