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| Vol. 17, No. 17 | Jan. 22, 1998 |
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| Vol. 17, No. 17 | Jan. 22, 1998 |
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 $1000.
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 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.
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 administration 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. 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 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 the Vice President for Administration 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.
Nominations must be submitted by Feb. 20, along with relevant supporting documentation. Nominations should include a cover sheet with the following information:
