Office of the President
President's Awards for Exemplary Staff Service
Terms of Reference and Nomination Forms
Concept of Award
The President’s Awards for Exemplary Staff Service at the University of Guelph are presented each year to recognize employees who have demonstrated outstanding service to the University community and/or who have made significant contributions to the University community beyond what is normally expected for their positions.
Criteria for Nomination
The award is open to all current non-academic staff of the University of Guelph who have served a minimum of two years prior to nomination and who have not previously received an award. Individuals nominated as part of a group/team must meet the same criteria. An individual may be nominated more than once, but may not receive the award more than once.
The Selection Committee will consider nominees who demonstrate commitment to excellence in their role within the University community; regularly and consistently demonstrate outstanding service; and/or perform actions of significant merit that are over and above their normal employment responsibilities and that benefit the University community.
The Selection Committee will look for evidence that the nominee’s exemplary service has created a lasting impact on other employees of the University, students, alumni, retirees or visitors. There must be a strong indication that the nominee has contributed to furthering the University’s mission of “excellence in teaching, research and service.”
There are seven (7) categories of awards, five (5) for individual nominations, one (1) for a team nomination and one (1) for either a team or individual nomination.
Click any of the links for additional details and a nomination form.
- Innovative Leadership Recognition Award
- Service Excellence Recognition Award
- Hidden Hero Award
- University of Guelph Spirit Award
- Community Service Award
- Exemplary Team Recognition Award
- Award of Excellence in Health & Safety
In its deliberations, the Selection Committee may consider the following:
- activities that warrant special consideration;
- breadth and depth of the impact of the nominee’s service or achievement;
- strength of the nomination.
In addition, consideration may be given to how well the awards represent the broad range of occupations across the University.
Nomination Process
The nomination form should be submitted to the Office of the Vice-President (Finance & Administration) not later than May 1st. Each nomination must be signed by three nominators, including one person who is identified as the lead nominator. The lead nominator is encouraged to elicit a maximum of three letters of support from individuals/sources, either from the nominators themselves or from other individuals. Nominations may come from staff, faculty, students, alumni and retirees of the University.
The nomination is limited to the completion of the nomination form and three letters of support. The nomination submission, excluding letters of support, must be no longer than 500 words.
Committee Membership
Recommended by the Vice-President (Finance & Administration) and appointed by the President, the Selection Committee for the awards will normally be drawn from alumni, members of the Board of Governors, college deans, department chairs, students and staff. Appointments to the Selection Committee will be made by the President prior to the May 1st nomination deadline each year.
The Vice-President (Finance & Administration) will chair the committee and a staff member in the Office of the President will serve as the committee’s Executive Secretary.
Appointments to the Selection Committee will normally be for a two-year term. No member may be appointed for more than two consecutive terms. A member of the Selection Committee who is nominated for an award will have the option of allowing the nomination to stand, in which case he or she will resign from the Selection Committee and a new member will be appointed by the President. A member of the Committee cannot act as a nominator.
Awards
One award in each of the seven (7) categories may be presented annually to recipients recommended by the Selection Committee for approval by the President. The decision to recommend an award in each of the categories in any given year will be at the discretion of the Selection Committee.
The President's Awards for Exemplary Staff Service consist of the following:
- Employee(s) selected will receive an award of $2,000 and a recognition award at a University event celebrating their contributions to the University of Guelph community.
- Group or team awardees will share the cash award.
- Recipients will have their name(s) added to an appropriate permanent form of institutional recognition.
- All nominees who are not selected will receive a recognition of nomination and can be renominated in the subsequent year.