Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Award

Annually up to 16 awards will be distributed based on 8 functional categories listed below, providing up to 2 awards per category.

Individual awards will be given based on the degree to which the nominee meets the four criteria:

• Demonstrates excellence in overall work performance.
• Puts forth an effort to improve self as well as to develop and recognize others.
• Exhibits initiative and creativity resulting in improved operating efficiency of the department and/or University.
• Enhances the reputation of the department and/or university.

Click here for a list of examples.

Nominee must:

• Be currently employed by a unit associated with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with at least three years of permanent service or the equivalent (e.g., 100% appointment for three years or 50% appointment for six years) by the nomination deadline.
• Have a positive work record.
• Be an active employee at the time the awards are determined, which will be March.
• Be a civil service or academic professional employee, staff who also have a zero percent modified faculty title are also eligible (i.e., teaching or research associate, lecturer, or instructor).

Please note:

• Individuals can receive the award only once.
• University System office and UIC College of Nursing employees are not eligible for this award.
• Visiting Academic Professionals may qualify if they have at least three years of service or the equivalent.

Any current member of the campus community, i.e. faculty, staff or student, may nominate a staff employee who meets the eligibility requirements. Individuals are able to nominate themselves as well.

In the event of multiple nominations submitted for one employee, nominators will be contacted and asked to review all of the nominations for that individual, determining which will go forward as the ‘official’ nomination.

The nomination form must address the multiple functional areas below and specify the nominee’s functional category. Nominees will be evaluated against others within the same category. The functional categories are:

• Administrative & Public Engagement
• Clerical/Administrative Support
• Crafts & Trades
• Education/Extension
• Information Technology
• Research
• Service/Maintenance
• Student Services

IHR reserves the right to change the functional group if the title/description does not fit into the selected group. View a list and description of the CSEA functional categories.

Statements to address each of the four nomination criteria (note there is a 500-word limit for each statement which is equal to one written page).

• The name, department, functional category, and e-mail address for the nominee.
• The nominator’s name, department, and e-mail address.
• Nominators will receive an e-mail acknowledging receipt of their nomination.

After the first screening, if the nominee is chosen as a semi-finalist, nominators will be contacted to secure and then submit at least one, but no more than three, letters of support. Each letter of support should be no more than one page in length. A minimum of one of the letters must come from the nominee’s current employing unit head or their designee.

A selection committee, appointed by the Chancellor, will consist of:

• Two chairs who will lead the committee, representing both Academic Professionals and Civil Service staff.
• Committee members will be from the functional areas listed above as well as from employee advisory groups such as the Council of Academic Professionals (CAP) and the Staff Advisory Council (SAC). Half of the voting committee members may be asked to serve two-year terms, providing some committee continuity.

The committee will select sixteen finalists to be recommended to the Chancellor for selection of the award. Members of the selection committee are not eligible for the award. A representative from IHR will staff the committee.In addition to selecting finalists for the awards, the selection committee will be responsible for conducting an annual evaluation of the program in order that needed improvements be considered on an annual basis. The committee will also consider ways to encourage stronger participation from deans, directors, department heads, and across all units.

In 2022-2023 the CSEA Program successfully combined the Chancellor’s Academic Professional Excellence (CAPE) award and the Chancellor’s Distinguished Staff Award (CDSA) into a unified Chancellor’s staff award program. The approach allowed our campus to adopt a single program with one set of rules and protocols to recognize and reward exemplary staff service, establishing university-wide visibility.