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Utah Valley University
Policies and Procedures

Title Institutional Awards of Excellence and Other Awards Number 113
Section Governance, Organization, and General Information Approval Date Jan 10,2008
Subsection Governance and Organization Effective Date Jan 10,2008
I. Purpose
  1. Institutional awards of excellence are a way of recognizing exceptional employee performance at the institutional level and are governed by this policy. This policy also establishes award naming standards and financial remuneration maximums for other awards given at the institution.
II. Terms
  1. Awards of Excellence Evening: Annual dinner event where recipients of institutional awards of excellence are recognized.
  2. Award: The term "award" should be used to describe the formal recognition of exceptional performance. Funding for travel, research, equipment, stipends, sabbaticals, etc. is not to be called an award.
  3. Campus Awards Committee: A committee comprised of a voting representative from each of the following: PACE, Faculty Senate, each Vice Presidential division, and Executive division, with a non-voting representative from Human Resource Services. Representatives will be appointed by the executive of the division or entity.
  4. Institutional Awards of Excellence: Awards given as a way of recognizing exceptional employee performance at the institutional level based on specific criteria and categories. Institutional awards of excellence are the most prestigious awards given at the institution for each officer, division, or entity. Institutional awards of excellence are the only awards recognized at the annual awards of excellence evening.
  5. Other Awards: Those awards given by officers, divisions, or entities of the institution which are less prestigious than institutional awards of excellence and are compensated at a lower level than institutional awards of excellence. Other awards may recognize employees, students, alumni, or community members.
III. Policy
  1. Award Naming Standards
    1. Award titles shall contain (1) the name of the awarding officer, division, or entity, (2) the value recognized by the award, (3) and other information which clarifies the nature of the award. Institutional awards of excellence shall contain the word "excellence." Other awards shall not contain the word "excellence." (For example the faculty senate's institutional award of excellence could be titled, "Faculty Senate's Faculty Excellence Award for Full-time Faculty," but a non-institutional award of excellence given by the faculty senate would not include excellence, such as, "Faculty Senate Lifetime Service Award.")
  2. Institutional Awards of Excellence
    1. Institutional awards of excellence are a way of recognizing exceptional employee performance and are based on specific categories, criteria, and selection processes.
    2. All officers, divisions, and entities that give institutional awards of excellence are required to publish award criteria and selection processes.
    3. The criteria and selection processes for institutional awards of excellence shall focus on exceptional employee performance and take reasonable steps to reduce favoritism.
    4. Institutional awards of excellence shall reflect the mission, values, and strategic directions of the institution, awarding officer, division or entity. Eligibility for institutional awards of excellence require the following:
      1. Staff shall be full-time employees, shall have successfully completed any probationary period, shall be in good standing with the institution, shall have at least three years of full-time employment with the institution, and shall not have received the same institutional award of excellence in the previous three years.
      2. Full-time faculty shall have the same eligibility requirements as staff with the clarification that the period of time leading up to the granting of tenure shall not be construed as a probationary period that would prohibit them from receiving institutional awards of excellence.
      3. Adjunct faculty shall be in good standing with the institution, shall have been employed at the institution for three years as an adjunct faculty, and shall not have received the same institutional award of excellence in the previous three years. Staff members who teach as adjunct faculty are eligible for institutional awards of excellence in their role as adjunct faculty.
    5. Human Resource Services shall ensure that potential award recipients meet the eligibility requirements. Human Resource Services shall notify the awarding officer or entity regarding the eligibility of the potential award recipient. If a potential award recipient is not eligible, the awarding officer or entity shall be asked for the name of the alternate or next most deserving individual for the award. Human Resource Services shall ensure that subsequent potential award recipients meet the eligibility requirements.
    6. The awarding officer or entity shall notify award recipients and invite them to the awards of excellence evening after receiving notification from Human Resource Services that the proposed recipient is eligible. The award recipient may bring a guest to the awards of excellence evening. The awarding officer or entity shall also invite the supervisors of award recipients to the awards of excellence evening.
    7. The awards of excellence evening shall receive support for event planning from the President's Office and Institutional Marketing. Expenses for the awards of excellence evening will be funded from a centralized institutional account.
    8. Each awarding officer or entity shall submit a two to three sentence citation describing why the recipient received the award. This citation will be published and read at the awards of excellence evening.
    9. The awarding officer or entity shall present awards to recipients at the awards of excellence evening.
    10. Funding and Remuneration for Institutional Awards of Excellence.
      1. Funding for trustees awards of excellence shall be provided from the trustees awards of excellence fund. All other awards of excellence will be funded from divisional or organization accounts.
      2. Institutional awards of excellence are not part of the equity, merit, or compensation programs of the institution.
      3. Remuneration for institutional awards of excellence shall be one-time funds and shall not be applied to base salary. Remuneration for institutional awards of excellence is subject to taxes.
    11. The campus awards committee is the coordinating body for institutional awards of excellence. It shall determine the awarding officers or entities, number of awards, and remuneration for awards. (See Table 1.) The campus awards committee shall also approve award titles, criteria, and selection processes for institutional awards of excellence on an annual basis.
    12. Institutional awards of excellence shall be granted and remunerated based on the categories and number of awards identified in Table 1.

      Table 1. Institutional Awards of Excellence.
      Granting Officer, Division, or Entity Award Category Number Awarded Remuneration as a Percentage of Trustees Award
      Trustees
      Open
      4
      100%
      President
      Engagement
      1
      83%
      Faculty Senate
      Full-time Faculty
      one per school
      67%
      Vice President/Executive
      Staff
      1 per 50 staff
      50%
      Academic College/School
      Faculty
      1 per 50 faculty
      50%
      Academic College/School
      Staff
      1 per 50 staff
      50%
      PACE
      Staff
      In accordance with PACE bylaws
      33%
      Faculty Senate
      Adjunct Faculty
      one per school
      33%
  3. Other Awards
    1. Officers, divisions, or entities of the institution may give awards other than institutional awards of excellence.
    2. Other awards may be given to employees, students, alumni, or community members.
    3. Other awards shall follow the award naming standards outlined above (section IV.A.).
    4. Other awards shall not be recognized at the awards of excellence evening.
    5. Any remuneration that accompanies other awards shall be no greater than 75% of the institutional award of excellence given by that officer, division, or entity. (See Table 1.) If the other award is granted by an officer, division, or entity not identified in this policy, the remuneration shall be no greater than 50% of the minimum award listed in this policy. (See Table 1.)
IV. Procedures
  1. Timeline
    1. September 15—Institutional awards of excellence titles and selection criteria or changes are due to the campus awards committee.
    2. October 1—Campus awards committee reviews titles and selection criteria or changes and provides feedback to institutional officers and entities.
    3. January 31—Nominations for institutional awards of excellence submitted to the awarding officer, division or entity.
    4. February 15—Names of potential recipients for institutional awards of excellence submitted to Human Resource Services member of campus awards committee.
    5. March 1—Human Resource Services committee member completes review of eligibility of potential recipients (and alternates in cases of ineligibility of a potential recipient) and reports findings to campus awards committee and the institutional awarding officers and entities.
    6. March 2 —Awarding officer or entity notifies recipients and Institutional Marketing and invites recipient to participate in the awards of excellence evening.
    7. Mid-April—Awards of excellence evening.
    8. Mid-April—Campus Open House (mid-day) to honor all recipients.
Nancy Bartlett, Policy Facilitator : mailto:Nancy.Bartlett@uvu.edu | 801.863.8156
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