There are two annual Distinguished Service
Awards. One is designed to annually recognize an individual for
consistent excellence, exceptional performance and service to the University
community. The second award honors a group of individuals who, as a
team, complete a special work project or activity during the fiscal year.
The work project or activity cannot be a day to day activity of the
department or of its team members. This team must have representation
from at least two offices; employees from a single work unit are not
eligible. Though this program, outstanding, outstanding performance is
encouraged is all employees as they strive to win this prestigious award,
which is symbolic of the hundreds of Villanovans who do outstanding work.
Eligibility
Individual
Award
All fulltime and part-time
staff employees (excluding Vice Presidents, Associate Vice Presidents,
Assistant Vice Presidents, Executive Directors, Deans, and all other
individuals who directly report to the President's Office) who have at
least two years of service by the nomination deadline are eligible.
Retirees may be eligible if they were employed during the fiscal year,
June 1 through May 31. Employees who have previously received this
award are not eligible, however, individuals previously nominated who
did not win are eligible with the submission of a current nomination
packet. A list of past winners will be updated yearly.
Faculty and student employees or work study students are ineligible for
this award.
Team Award
In the spirit of community and
commitment to quality improvement, work teams are also eligible for a
special team award. A team may be comprised of any two or more
community members (including all full-time and part-time staff*,
students and faculty) who work as a team to complete a special work
project or activity during a fiscal year. This team must have
representation from at least two offices: employees from a single work
unit are not eligible. The work project or activity cannot be a day to
day activity of a department or of its team members.
Previous
individual and team members award winners and previous nominees along
with current individual nominees are eligible to be included in a work
team nomination. An individual may be a member of several nominated
teams.
Nomination Process
Nominations and letters of support may be
submitted by any member of the campus community (administrators, staff,
faculty or students). Human Resources will be responsible for
administering this process. Nomination forms must be submitted to the
Human Resource office on or before the deadline for submission, May 4st.
The nomination package must be complete by this date. The
nomination package will be placed in each nominees' personnel file.
NOTE: Any Villanova employee may nominate or
write a letter of support for only one person and/or one team.
Nomination Forms/Packet
Every
nomination must include the following:
1. Completed Nominee Information Form
The Nominee
Information Form tells the committee who you are nominating,
whether it be an individual or a team.
The Nominee Information Form can be submitted in one of
two ways:
The Nomination Statement is
your statement as to why you feel the person or team should
receive the DSA. This statement should be no more than three
pages long.
The Nomination Statement can be submitted in one of two
ways:
If you decide to go the online route, your
Nomination Statement is included on the same form as the
Nominee Information. After you complete the Nominee Information
section on the NOVASIS form, you will then click the
link provided to type (or copy and paste) your
Nomination Statement.
If you are completing the nomination by hand, then
you must send your nomination statement (no more than 3
typed or handwritten pages) to Human Resources by mail
(address below).
Your Nomination Statement should clearly articulate how the
nominee meets all
three of the award criteria by answering the following questions:
How does the person (or team) demonstrate consistent excellence?
How does the person (or team) demonstrate exceptional performance?
What type of activity does the person (or team) perform to enhance our sense of
community?
It should include a description of the nominee's characteristics and
specific examples of actions that illustrate the award criteria.
3. Three Letters of Support
Your nomination must include three
(3) letters of support from
any member of the Villanova community (i.e., administrators, faculty, staff, students) to
reinforce the nominee's consideration for the award.
A letter of support should be no more than three typed or
written pages text (can be done online) and must
clearly articulate how the nominee meets all
three of the award criteria by answering the following questions:
How does the person (or team) demonstrate consistent excellence?
How does the person (or team) demonstrate exceptional performance?
What type of activity does the person (or team) perform to enhance our sense of
community?
It should include a description of the nominee's characteristics and
specific examples of actions that illustrate the award criteria.
Letters of Support can be submitted in one of two
ways:
If the Nominee Information Form and
Nomination Statement were submitted online via NOVASIS,
the three supporters may log into their NOVASIS
accounts and click the List Nominations which I am
noted as Supporter tab
link provided to them under the MiscApps tab. Then
he/she can click Enter Support Documentation
and either type or copy and paste his/her
letter of support directly into the box provided, then
click Submit. Click here for
directions on submitting an a support letter online.
If a supporter prefers to submit
his/her letter in hard copy, he/she must send the letter
to Human Resources (address below) before May 4.
How to Submit/Deadline for Submission
Your completed nomination must be submitted to the Department of Human
Resources no later than May 4.
Your nomination should include:
Nominee Information Form
Nomination Statement
Three Letters of Support
All three can be done online in NOVASIS or on
paper. If done on paper, please mail to the following address:
Department of Human Resources
Heubner Hall 1st Floor
American College
CAMPUS MAIL
Note: Any nominations that are not complete, that have missing sections,
or were submitted after the deadline of May 4 will not be accepted for consideration and will be
returned to the nominator. Any information submitted beyond what was presented in the
Nomination Statement will not be considered.
Renominationsare welcome in both individual and team categories.
Renominations for team awards are allowed as long as the team project was completed during the current fiscal year.
Renominations for both individual and team awards must consist of a revised nomination
statement; the three letters of support can be duplicated and
resubmitted as long as the staff supplying the support letters are still
Villanova employees and the letters accurately reflect the nominee's
position at Villanova.
Award Criteria
Awards will be given based upon the extent to which the
nominee (individual or team) meets the following three criteria:
.......
Consistent Excellence: Those who, day in and day out,
demonstrate excellence in their attitude and performance.
Examples:
Interacts with others in a positive, enthusiastic and cheerful manner
Commands the respect of co-workers, supervisor, students and others
Assists others with both personal and professional challenges that impact work life
Demonstrates extensive knowledge and competence in a wide array of work related topics
Uses knowledge and expertise to troubleshoot/solve problems quickly
Handles a large workload effectively and in a timely fashion
Acts as a team player and encourages teamwork in others
Exhibits a high degree of professionalism
Exceptional Performance: Those who demonstrate exceptional
performance, above and beyond the call of duty and/or completed a task with a high level
of excellence.
Examples:
Accepts responsibilities and performs duties above and beyond what is normally expected
Works extra hard to help complete a critical work project/s
Plays a key role in remedying a
crisis or an emergency
Provides services which are outside the scope of normal work duty
Completes challenging tasks with little direction or supervision
Villanova Community: Those who perform an activity which
significantly enhances our sense of community or fosters a community spirit.
Examples:
Serves on University committees that promote the department/University and its staff and
students
Acts as a mentor for others by providing advice, guidance, feedback and encouragement
Helps to integrate new employees or supervisors into the work environment
Shares personal knowledge and skills with others in an effort to promote the welfare of
staff and students
Serves as a positive role model for others
Selection/Evaluation Composition
The award process will be
administered by a five-member committee approved by the President. Two
members are selected from former awardees and three are selected from the
entire community. The chair of the Distinguished Service Award Selection
Committee leads this process. A representative from Human Resources and a
representative from the VQI Council will serve on the committee in an ex-officio capacity. They will facilitate the selection process, but
are not voting members. Members of the Selection Committee will not be
eligible for the award while serving on the committee.
Selection/Evaluation Process
All nominees will be judged in comparison to all other nominees for
the current fiscal year. Examples and achievements will only be considered
if they are related to work in the department and/or at the University. Each
committee member will use a ten-point scale to rate the nominees based on
the Nomination Statement. Letters of support will then be reviewed. An
average score will be developed for each nominee. A run-off vote will then
be conducted with the top three scorers to determine the awardee who will be
recommended to the President. The President will approve all awards.
Awards
One individual award and one team award may be given in each fiscal year. Where
there are no outstanding candidates, no awards will be given.
Individuals will receive $1,500, a certificate, and will have his/her name inscribed on
a permanent plaque displayed on campus. Each winning team will have all member names
inscribed on a permanent plaque for display at the University and each team member will
receive a certificate. In addition, the President will host an event in the team's honor.
All awards will be given by the President during St. Thomas of Villanova
Day in September. Recognition of the award recipients will also be made
through Blueprints, the faculty/staff newsletter, and the alumnae/i magazine.
Acknowledgment Process
Upon receipt of a nomination packet, Human Resources will review the
application for completeness. A post card or letter will be sent to the nominator
indicating the date received and whether the nomination was accepted. A nomination will
not be accepted if the nomination packet is incomplete. In that event, the packet will be
returned to the nominator. The nominees will be sent a letter congratulating them of their
nomination and encouraging them to attend the awards event. The final award recipients
will be given prior notification for their participation in the awards presentation
ceremony. The VP Council representative from the award recipient's area will also be
notified.
