Nominees for the President’s Our Common Ground Staff Award are recognized for their sustained and exceptional fulfillment and expression of the values contained in the University of Vermont’s Our Common Ground. It is expected that nominees will excel in and reflect the totality of the values and aspirations expressed in the Our Common Ground statement. The award recognizes a commitment to the Our Common Ground values rather than a specific act or achievement.

The individuals who are recognized as true exemplars of the values reflected in the University of Vermont’s Our Common Ground will receive a $1,000 prize and will be recognized on a plaque in Waterman Building.

Nominees for the President’s Our Common Ground Staff Award must be current, regular, on-going staff members (full time, part time, represented or non-represented) in good standing, who have worked at the University of Vermont for a minimum of three years. Staff members must have served a minimum of three years by the end of the fiscal year, June 30th, to be considered. Years of service are calculated based on an employee’s benefit service date.

The following employees are not eligible for this award: 
• Voluntary or involuntary terminated staff members
• Temporary employees
• Student employees
• Post doctoral fellows and associates
• Faculty members
• Previous award recipients within the last five years
• Our Common Ground Staff Award committee members

Any member of the University of Vermont community (faculty, staff, and students) may nominate eligible staff members for the President’s Our Common Ground Staff Award. Staff members may self-nominate. Award committee members may nominate individuals and/or provide letters of support; however, they will be asked to recuse themselves from deliberations on these individuals.

The following submission materials are required for each nomination to be considered. 

One Nomination Letter - The nominator should submit a letter explaining the qualifications of the nominee and a description of how the nominee exemplifies the values expressed in the Our Common Ground statement by citing specific examples and evidence. Please note: If the nominee is selected as an award recipient, the nominator will be asked to write and read a brief citation introducing the nominee at the award ceremony in September.  

Three Letters of Support -The nominator is responsible for soliciting and coordinating with three additional UVM community members who will each write an additional letter of support on behalf of the nominee. A diversity of perspectives from letter of support writers is encouraged. Letters of support should provide clear examples of how the nominee integrates the Our Common Ground values into every aspect of their work at UVM. Please note: Each letter of support should only have one primary signer. Although, other employees may be listed as supporting signers.

Initially, nominees are not notified of their nominations. However, at the conclusion of the selection process and as part of recognizing employees, the nominees (both those selected and those not selected) will be presented copies of the nomination letter and letters of support.

Award Evaluation Rubric and Scoring Sheet (PDF)

Submit a nomination

The Award Committee recommends candidates for the President’s Our Common Ground Award to the University President, who will make the final decision on award recipients. 

The Award Committee will be made up of one staff member from each college and school appointed by the Dean and one staff member from each administrative unit appointed by the senior officer. The President of Staff Council will be a member of the committee and serve as the committee chair. Committee members each serve for a three-year, staggered term and are eligible for reappointment to a second term. 

Deans and senior officers are encouraged to consider nominating previous award recipients to serve on the committee. The University President appoints committee members from the nominations received.

Members of the committee may nominate individuals and/or provide letters of support; however, they will be asked to recuse themselves from deliberations on these individuals. During their service on the committee, members may not be nominated for the award.

March 24: Call for nominations opens.  
May 2: Nominations due, submission closes.  
May-July: Nominations reviewed by Awards Committee. 
September: President announces award recipients to UVM community, and invites awardees, nominators, letter of support writers, previous recipients, and senior leaders to a breakfast ceremony to celebrate.
 

The Award Committee has outlined the following information to help letter writers.

• Give context: Be sure to detail what the person does in the UVM community, how you have seen them in their role, and why their actions/contributions to the UVM community are worthy of recognition.
• Provide examples: Explain how the nominee goes above and beyond their normal job responsibilities. List clear examples and evidence of how the nominee embodies the Our Common ground values. Think of your letter as a supportive argument on behalf of the nominee.
• Tell a story: Paint a picture in the reader’s mind of why these contributions are so important. Tell a story to help the reader get a deeper understanding of and appreciation for why the nominee is an outstanding community member.
• Discuss impact and values: Connect the dots between the nominee's actions and how they express the six values of Our Common Ground. While each letter does not need to address every value, the submission materials as a whole should address how the nominee has contributed to and significantly impacted the university as demonstrated by the Our Common Ground values.
• Keep it simple: An effective letter does not need to be overly formal. The tone of the letter can be casual as if you are sharing about your nominee to a friend over coffee.
• Re-read your letter: Make sure you’ve said what you want to say. You may also want a friend or colleague to read your letter as well to help edit for spelling or grammatical errors.

Below is an example of a letter structure that could be used:

Month Day, Year

To Whom it May Concern:

FIRST PARAGRAPH: Introduce the person you are nominating; their position, their department, where they work in the UVM community. Give the reader some context for how you know the person; it will help the reader to understand who this person is and what their role is in the community. Is it a close colleague in your department? Is it someone you’ve partnered with on a project? Is it someone you’ve never directly worked with, but interact with often? How the person had a positive impact on your experience at the university? 

SECOND PARAGRAPH: State why you are nominating this person: Why have they stood out to you as an exemplary community member? Tie your reasons back to the values of Our Common Ground. These reasons could be ensuring UVM remains a safe place to work, fostering new projects to improve equity, or consistently respecting all members of the community.

THIRD PARAGRAPH: Outline specific examples and evidence that support the reasons you state above. Tell a story about the person by recalling their actions that made you think, “Wow, this person really is the epitome of respect/integrity/innovation/openness/justice/responsibility.” Then explain how the actions of this person make them outstanding.

FOURTH PARAGRAPH: Discuss impact. Build off the story you’ve told and highlight how this person reflects the Our Common Ground statement. Consider the following questions: how has this person’s actions/contributions to the UVM community impacted you?, how have you seen this person’s actions/contributions positively impacted those around them?, how does this person’s actions/contributions positively the university? Remember that the President’s Our Common Ground Staff Award is designed to recognize staff members who have made extraordinary contributions and who have had a significant impact on the University, as demonstrated through the values expressed in Our Common Ground.

Sincerely,

Your Name
Your Department