UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 17, Page 6 January 19, 1995 Merit Award Program - Salaried staff guidelines 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 permanent, full-time and permanent, part-time salaried staff, who have been in their current unit for at least one year and who have not received the award in the previous year. The vice president for employee relations 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 provost 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 nominees' performances would qualify them for receipt of awards. SELECTION CRITERIA AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION: The final selection of merit award recipients rests with the provost or appropriate vice president. In selecting award recipients, the provost 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. Additionally, the employee's most recent performance appraisal must be included as part of the documentation. All documentation must be retained by the unit for at least one year. NOTIFICATION: It is the responsibility of the unit head or administrator to notify employees of their nomination for the merit award. The provost 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 Employee Relations through 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 provost or appropriate vice president to the vice president for employee relations for review and decisions.