Alumni Service Award

OVERVIEW

This award recognizes the service of a volunteer who has had a major impact on the University, its schools, colleges, departments, or faculty, or to the University of Minnesota Alumni Association (UMAA) or any of its constituent groups. A nominee must be a graduate or former student of the University. They cannot be a current member of faculty or staff, or a sitting Regent, but retirees are eligible. Alumni Service Awards are not awarded to encourage or reward financial contributions to the University.

NOMINATION PROCESS

Nominator
The nominator must be a current member of the faculty or staff; or a member of the alumni. Anonymous proposals and self nominations will not be considered.

Selection Process
The All-University Honors Committee manages the process and submits recommendations to the president, who makes recommendations to the Board of Regents.

See the Nomination Submission section below for campus-specific processes.

Nomination Dossier
It is important that the nomination dossier tells a complete and compelling story of the nominee. Toward that effort, make sure that the dossier demonstrates the major impacts the nominee’s volunteer service has had on the University, its schools, colleges, departments, or faculty, or to the University of Minnesota Alumni Association (UMAA) or any of its constituent groups.

Format of Nomination Dossier
The seven documents described below should be submitted as a single PDF in the following order:

  1. Nomination letter
  2. Letter from campus leadership
  3. Supporting letters
  4. Nomination summary
  5. Outstanding service to the University
  6. Biographical information for the nominee
  7. Contact information

Nomination letter: should focus on personal knowledge of the nominee's volunteer accomplishments and reputation. It should demonstrate a legacy of exceptional service.

A letter from campus leadership demonstrating support for the nomination:

  • For all nominations from the Crookston, Duluth, Morris, and Rochester campuses, the letter would be from the chancellor. 
  • For nominations from academic units on the Twin Cities campus, the letter would be from the dean of the nominating college.
  • For nominations coming from non-academic units on the Twin Cities campus, the letter would be from the unit’s vice president. 

(Note: In each of the above cases, the chancellor, dean, or vice president may serve as the nominator.)

Supporting letters: three from the nominee's peers; one of the three letters must be from a key collegiate, UMAA, or University employee; again, these should focus on personal knowledge as above. These are in addition to the letter from the nominator and the letter from the dean or chancellor (the dean or chancellor may serve as the nominator).

Please refer to this document if you have specific questions regarding how many letters to include in your nomination dossier.

Nomination summary: 250 words or less, restricted to outlining the nominee's accomplishments and services as a volunteer. Should your nominee be granted an Alumni Service Award, the nomination summary you provide will be used to draft the official citation given to the nominee (see samples of official completed citations).

Outstanding service to the University: one-page summary highlighting the individual's volunteer service.

Biographical information for the nominee: not to exceed five pages and to include current mailing address, email address, and telephone number, date and place of birth, education, University background, and other relevant information (e.g., other public service). Must contain full biographical information on the nominee and document in detail the particular achievements that are the basis for the award.

Contact Information: separate document with contact information for nominee, nominator, dean or chancellor, persons writing supporting letters, and the award event contact person should the award be granted to the nominee. Include the preferred mailing address, email address, and phone number for each person listed above.

NOMINATION SUBMISSION

Twin Cities Campus Nominations
A nomination from the Twin Cities campus should be submitted to the honors committee of the appropriate college/unit, if one exists. The nomination must then be submitted to the president and CEO of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association (UMAA), 200 McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455. If a college/unit does not have an honors committee, the nomination should be submitted directly to the UMAA. The UMAA Awards Committee reviews nominations and forwards its recommendations to the All-University Honors Committee. 

System Campus Nominations
A nomination from a system campus should be submitted to the honors committee of the appropriate college/unit, if one exists. The nomination is then forwarded by the campus honors committee to the All-University Honors Committee. If the campus does not have an honors committee, the nomination should be submitted directly to the All-University Honors Committee at uawards.umn.edu.

Nominations must be submitted as a single PDF file with the email subject line “Nomination Submission to the All-University Honors Committee.”

CONFIDENTIALITY

During the nomination process, no disclosure is to be made to the nominee or others. Efforts will be made to maintain confidentiality with respect to the nomination process, consistent with applicable law.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  • The All-University Honors Committee may reject a nomination either for lack of merit or for lack of adequate documentation. In the latter case the nomination may be revised and re-submitted.
  • In general, for nominations from the Twin Cities campus, award and citation costs are borne by the University of Minnesota Alumni Association, award ceremony costs by the nominating unit, and travel expenses by the awardee. Units sponsoring Alumni Service Awards are encouraged to provide travel support when funds are available.
  • For nominations from system campuses, award and citation costs are borne by University Awards and Honors, and travel expenses by the awardee. System campuses are encouraged to provide travel support when funds are available.

If you have any questions about the nominating process, please contact Erin Heath, director, University Senate Office and University Awards and Honors, at [email protected] or 612-625-4805. 

HELPFUL LINKS