Staff Appreciation FAQ

What are the Staff Appreciation Awards?

The Outstanding Staff Award is intended to recognize exceptional Augsburg staff members who exemplify the mission statement of the College through their actions. Recipients of this award consistently go above and beyond the call of duty by providing exceptional service to others and/or making innovative and outstanding contributions to enhance the objectives of their department or the Augsburg community.

Who is eligible?

All full-time and part-time staff that carry a regular FTE as designated by Human Resources, as well as union staff, are eligible to receive the Outstanding Staff Awards. Current Staff Senators and staff members who have received this award in the past three years are not eligible.

How many staff members are recognized?

Up to 6 staff members are recognized each year. Because there are more than 6 divisions, not all divisions will be represented in the recipients chosen for the awards; however, consideration will be given to make sure that the recipients represent a wide array of staff members at the College.

How can a staff member be nominated?

To be considered for this award, the nominee must have a complete nomination packet that includes:

  • A nomination form (online)
  • At least two letters of recommendation (emailed or delivered in person)

Nominations may be submitted from any current staff, faculty, or student at Augsburg College; however, self-nominations are not allowed. Faculty and staff may nominate people either within or outside their own divisions. The letters of recommendation should specifically describe how the nominated staff member meets the criteria stated above.

Division Vice Presidents are encouraged to nominate a minimum of two staff members from their respective divisions to ensure the pool of nominees represents a wide array of staff members at the College.

What are the Staff Appreciation Letter of Recommendation Guidelines?

A minimum of two Augsburg Faculty, Staff, or Students must submit letters of recommendation for a nominee to be eligible.  All letters of recommendation must be submitted no later than 10 a.m. on Friday, February 10. Letters may be:

* Emailed to Jim Matthias at matthias@augsburg.edu.
OR
* Delivered to Foss 17A  (Lower Level).

Each letter should explain how the staff person exemplifies the mission statement of the College through their actions, as well as how this person consistently goes above and beyond the call of duty by providing exceptional service to others and/or making innovative and outstanding contributions to enhance the objectives of their department or the Augsburg community.

Letters of Recommendation should be well written, between 3-5 paragraphs in length. The selection of individuals to receive the Staff Appreciation Awards from a pool of highly deserving staff members is an inherently difficult task. The more specific information you can include, in a concise manner, regarding why the nominee should receive the award, the easier it will be for the selection committee to accurately assess their outstanding work.

Who reviews the nominations?

The Staff Appreciation Awards Selection Committee is composed of all current Staff Senators, as well as 1-3 recipients of the previous year’s Outstanding Staff Awards.

Will staff be notified if they have been nominated? And will letters of recommendation be provided to the nominees?

Yes and yes. All nominees will be notified the week of February 13, 2017. Nominees will be provided their letters of recommendation after the Staff Appreciation Awards.

When will the 2016 Outstanding Staff Award recipients be announced?

All recipients will be announced at the Staff Appreciation Awards on Thursday, March 2 from 2–4 p.m. in the Hoversten Chapel.