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Nominate outstanding staff for excellence award

October 21, 2016

staff-award-centerpieceThe Supportive Professional Staff (SPS) Council is requesting nominations for the Presidential Supportive Professional Staff Award for Excellence. This award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the university. All supportive professional staff are eligible. To be eligible to receive this award, an employee must be at least 50 percent time and may not hold rank or tenure. An individual can only receive this award once and must be currently employed as supportive professional staff at NIU at the time of the nomination as well as when the award is given in the spring.

If you have previously nominated an individual, please consider re-nominating them. Four awards in the amount of $1,500 will be presented. In addition, each recipient will receive a plaque in recognition of their accomplishments.

The nominator is asked to address specific topics in a letter addressed to the SPSC Awards Committee. The first topic includes the significant contributions made by this individual to the university. Please be certain to address how the nominee has supported and/or advanced NIU’s strategic initiatives. Consider outstanding service, the significance of their contribution to NIU, support for the university’s mission and professionalism. It is helpful for nominators to indicate and differentiate between contributions which are directly job-related and contributions that go above and beyond the nominee’s regular responsibilities. Secondly, the nominator is asked to provide evidence of the nominee’s commitment to her/his professional development. And lastly, note the nominee’s involvement with committees or organizations and NIU, or within their profession.

A completed application packet consists of the nomination referral form and four letters: a nomination letter and three letters of support. The support letters must address the above topics. Only these four letters will be considered for each nominee. All nominations must include the nominee’s and nominator’s name, title and department. Awards will be announced by President Douglas Baker in Feb. 2017 and will be presented by him at the SPS Council Awards Ceremony in April 2017. Nominators are responsible for submitting the complete set of nomination materials. If you have questions, please contact Linda Watson at 815-753-1797 or lwatson@niu.edu or Dana Gautcher at 815-753-5701 or dana@niu.edu.

The nomination referral form, nomination letter and three letters of support should be sent to Linda Watson and Dana Gautcher, co-chairpersons, SPS Council Awards Committee and must be received in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Zulauf Hall 314 by 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 1. Nominees will be asked to forward a vita when they are informed by the committee of their nomination.

There will be no extensions of the deadline, so please be sure to get all nomination materials in by Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016.