President's Award for Outstanding Service

The University of Minnesota President's Award for Outstanding Service was established in 1997 to recognize faculty and staff who have provided exceptional service to the University. This award is presented each year in the spring and honors active or retired faculty or staff members who have gone well beyond their regular duties and have demonstrated an unusual commitment to the University community.

This award recognizes exceptional service to the University, its schools, colleges, departments and service units by any active or retired member of the faculty or staff. Such service must have gone well beyond the regular duties of a faculty or a staff member, and demonstrate unusual commitment to the University community.

Nomination Deadline

March 9, 2012

Who is eligible?

The nominee must be an active or retired member of the University faculty or staff who has not already received this award.

Selection Criteria

Nomination letters should focus on the nominator's personal knowledge of the nominee's exceptional service, such as innovative service to students, the University community, individual units of the University, or outreach beyond the University.

Selection Process

The review committee, appointed by the President, recommends candidates for this award to the President. The President will have final authority to grant the award that does not require action by the Senate All-University Honors Committee or approval by the Board of Regents.

Nomination Procedure

-Nominator: must be a current member of the faculty or staff or alumni of the University. Complete the cover page (PDF) to the nomination and submit with the complete nomination packet.

-Letter from nominator: Should focus on personal knowledge of the nominee's exceptional service, i.e, innovative service to students, the University community (broadly interpreted), individual units of the University, or outreach beyond the University.

-Biographical information: To include nominee's address (work and home), telephone number and email address. University background such as current job title and classification or last job title before retirement. Indicate if the nominee is a bargaining unit, civil service, P&A, faculty or retired employee.

-Vitae and/or job description: Appropriate for the position (no folders or binders).

-Supporting letters: Three (in addition to the letter from the nominator) from the nominee's peers in and outside the University. Again, these should focus on personal knowledge as above.

-Nomination: Must include a letter from the person to whom the nominee reports indicating their support for the nomination (this may be submitted as one of the letters of support or as the letter of nomination. If the person is retired, the letter should come from the person to whom they reported to in their previous position).

-Number of Copies: 8 (no folders or binders).

Note: Persons writing letters of nomination should know that such letters will be legally available to the nominee upon request, even to an unsuccessful candidate who becomes aware of the nomination. Nominators should also make sure that writers of supporting letters are aware that their letters, too, will be available upon request.

Submit nominations, including contact information, to

The President's Award Committee
c/o Vickie Courtney, Director
University Awards and Honors
427 Morrill Hall
100 Church Street SE,
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455

For additional information about this award go to: http://www1.umn.edu/usenate/alluhonors/handbook.html#pres

Previous recipients of this award.