UNIVERSITY OF UTAH STAFF EXCELLENCE AWARDS
The University Staff Excellence Awards (USEA) program was established in 1992 to recognize superior service and ongoing contributions by the University of Utah's full-time staff employees. In 2006, the process was changed to allow recognition of the exceptional contribution of a much larger number of staff. In 2023, a new award category was introduced to recognize the outstanding efforts of our part-time staff employees (.01 to .74 FTE). Twenty-four District Staff Excellence Awards (DSEA) are given to staff from four Districts, and four Part-Time Awards will be given (one per District). The number of awards for each District is determined by the number of staff working in that area.
| District | # Awards |
| 1. Academic & Student Affairs | 4 |
| 2. Administration | 5 |
| 3. Hospital/Clinics | 10 |
| 4. Health Academics | 5 |
| Total | 24 |
Nominations should be made in line with the University's four major strategic goals. Eight awards will be presented at the University level - two representing each goal. The winners are selected by an Executive Committee coordinated by the Chair of the U of U Staff Council and approved by the Chief Human Resources Officer. Each winner receives a $3750 honorarium and a personalized plaque.
These 24 DSEA winners are the pool from which the eight recipients of the University Staff Excellence Awards are chosen. All 24 will be recognized in their respective areas and at the USEA luncheon hosted by President Randall.
Faculty and staff are encouraged to nominate a staff employee from any of the districts who meets the eligibility criteria by downloading and completing the nomination form.
For more information about the University Staff Excellence Awards, please contact Mandy Skonhovd (Mandy.Skonhovd@utah.edu) at 801-581-6206.
Part-Time University Staff Excellence Award Criteria
NEW: Four Part-Time Staff Excellence Awards, one per each District, will be awarded to staff employees who:
- have at least two years of continuous, part-time service (.01 FTE to .74 FTE) to the University of Utah by June 30, 2023
- are in good standing with their respective department and the University (no disciplinary actions on file within the last three years)
- are not Faculty, Director-level staff and above, UU Staff Council members, or District Award team members; self-nominations are also not accepted
- Part-time award winners not are eligible for the final 8 University Staff Excellence winners
Full-Time District & University Staff Excellence Award Criteria
24 District Awards will be awarded across 4 Districts, determined by number of staff working in that area. From this pool of 24 District winners, the final 8 University Staff Excellence winners will be selected by an Executive Committee. To be eligible for the District and University Staff Excellence awards, the employee should:
- have at least two years of continuous, full-time service (.75 FTE and above) to the University of Utah by June 30, 2023
- be in good standing with their respective department and the University (no disciplinary actions on file within the last three years)
- not be Faculty, Director-level staff and above, UU Staff Council members, or District Award team members; self-nominations are also not accepted
Nominations may be made by any faculty or staff member and must be completed by an online submission. We encourage all nominations be submitted through the online format for the 2023 Staff Excellence Awards.
We recognize that there may be some individuals who are unable to submit an online nomination. If you do not have access to a computer or have other concerns about submitting an online nomination, please contact your district chair. Each situation will be addressed as needed so all who want to submit a nomination are able to do so.
Letters of support are a great way to provide additional (yet optional) backing for a nomination or to show a group/department effort in nominating a particular employee. A total of three, one-page max letters can be added as attachments to the online nomination form; letters of support should continue to highlight/build upon the initial nomination by providing more examples on how a nominee support one of more of the Four University of Utah Strategic Goals.