Purpose

This annual award is intended to honor two James Madison University classified full-time staff members and one part-time staff member in recognition of their exceptional service to the University and Academic Affairs.

Eligibility Criteria

• Full-time Classified Staff Member: Minimum of 12 consecutive months of employment with Academic Affairs. Must be employed by Academic Affairs at the time of the award.
• Part-time Wage Staff Member: Minimum of 12 months, out of the past 18 months, of employment with Academic Affairs. Must be employed by Academic Affairs at the time of the award.
  
  
• Nominations can be submitted annually.  Recipients of award are eligible every 3 years.
• Staff Members must occupy one of the following job codes: 19011 (Administrative Office Specialist I), 19012
  (Administrative Office Specialist II), 19013 (Administrative Office Specialist III), 19031 (Financial Services Specialist I), 19032 (Financial Services Specialist II) and 19221 (General Administration Supervisor I/Coordinator I) to be nominated.

Nomination and Support Letters

Any individual within Academic Affairs may submit a nomination. A nomination should include letters from two individuals; if the nominator is the supervisor, please include a letter of support from a second individual.

• Nomination Letter (any individual within Academic Affairs) - Required
• Letter of Support from nominee’s immediate supervisor – Required
• Additional Letter of Support from outside of Academic Affairs (but still within JMU) - Optional

Letters must include specific examples that illustrate how the nominee meets a minimum of three or more of the Award Criteria (below).  Suggested letter length is two to three pages. Letters should provide specific details, including but not limited to:

• The period of time during which the contributions occurred
• How the employee’s work or actions made a positive impact on the department/unit/college
• Specific and detailed examples of behavior demonstrating a minimum of three or more of the Award Criteria

Award Criteria

Nominees will demonstrate a record of accomplishment or broad-based impact in three or more of the following
areas:

• Teamwork: Exhibits successful, collaborative qualities that benefit their team; produces reliable coordinated service; contributes to the vision and mission of the unit and the university through building and maintaining partnerships.
• Customer Service: Consistently offers customers a high level of service and problem-solving; effectively communicates with customers about service, policies, and procedures; treats customers with respect and
  dignity.
• Creativity and/or Innovation: Produces results with increased productivity and efficiencies; uses creativity to generate new ideas; and/or cost-saving strategies.
• Professional Development: Participates in professional development opportunities above and beyond those required to fulfill basic job responsibilities and uses this learning to increase job performance and enhance departmental functioning.
• Leadership: Demonstrates a “can do” attitude; takes ownership for problem-solving; willingly takes on tasks or takes on additional duties for the success of the team; acts to increase organizational effectiveness.

Nominations

Nominations should be electronically submitted to the AAASAC Recognition Committee at AA-ASAC@jmu.edu. All documents for a nominee should be attached in a single email submission.

The deadline for electronically submitting nominations is Friday, January 31, 2025, at 5 p.m. The AAASAC Recognition Committee and a member of JMU's Human Resources department will review all submissions and make recommendations to the AVP of Academic Initiatives & Planning.

Award

The recipients of the Provost Award for Administrative Excellence (both Full-Time Classified and Part-Time Wage staff) will receive an honorarium of $1,000.00 and will be recognized at the Academic Affairs Awards and Recognition Luncheon on Thursday, May 1, 2025, and the Academic Affairs Administrative Assistants Appreciation Breakfast on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. 

Recognition Committee Members

Nikki Corley - CISE – Dean's Office - corleyna@jmu.edu
Megan Loucks - Psychology – loucksmm@jmu.edu
Whitney Sites - Department of Geology and Environmental Science - siteswk@jmu.edu
Laresa Roberts - Department of Engineering - rober4lm@jmu.edu