Staff Excellence Award

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Academic Staff Excellence Award is given annually to a member of the non-instructional academic staff who has excelled in performance and service. Excellence in performance is the primary criterion for the award, but outstanding service to the University community and beyond enhances a nomination. Academic staff who are eligible are non-instructional staff who hold at least 50 percent appointments and have not received the award in the past five years.

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Academic Staff Excellence Award is given annually to a member of the non-instructional academic staff who has excelled in performance and service. Excellence in performance is the primary criterion for the award, but outstanding service to the University community and beyond enhances a nomination. Academic staff who are eligible are non-instructional staff who hold at least 50 percent appointments and have not received the award in the past five years.

Criteria:

• The person should have a minimum of 5 years as a UWL employee and 12 months as an Academics Staff member. 
• The person should demonstrate service that consistently and substantially exceeds quality expected in the position.
• The person should exhibit performance that consistently and substantially demonstrates ability and willingness to work positively and effectively with others.
• The person should demonstrate performance of ability and willingness to manage changes in work. They should also demonstrate an innovative approach to the job and improve productivity and quality of work assigned.
• The person should demonstrate performance that has resulted in important and significant contributions to their department and the campus and has furthered UWL’s mission. Performance should result in becoming a distinguished member of his/her profession campus-wide, system-wide, statewide or nationally.

Nominating procedure:

1. Nominate a fellow UW-La Crosse academic staff member
   1. Nominations may be made by academic staff, classified staff, faculty or students or self.
   2. Nominations must be submitted no later than 4:00 pm on April 18, 2025.
   3. Nominations must be submitted electronically here.
      1. Please note that the following are part of the nomination process:
         1. Name
         2. Title
         3. Department/Unit
         4. Phone
         5. Email
         6. Involvement in: professional association/service, on and/or off campus activities (if applicable)
         7. Awards received (if applicable)
         8. Statement of Nomination, providing at least 1 example of each of the four areas below (1-page limit):
            1. Excellence of Performance: performance that consistently and substantially exceeds in quality the expectations for the position; performance that has set superior standards of excellence and efficiency in relation to the mission of the departmental unit and the university; performance that has resulted in important and significant contributions to the individual’s department and institution.
                
            2. Personal Interaction: performance that consistently and substantially demonstrates ability and willingness to work positively and effectively with others; performance that demonstrates the ability and willingness to manage changes in work priorities, procedures, and organization.
                
            3. Initiative and Creativity: performance that consistently and substantially demonstrates an innovative approach to the job, thereby improving productivity and the quality of the work assigned; performance that demonstrates efforts to improve personal job performance.
                
            4. Outstanding Achievement: performance that consistently and substantially has resulted in important and significant contributions to the departmental unit and that has furthered the mission of the university; performance that has resulted in distinction in one’s profession – campus-wide, systemwide, statewide, nationally, or internationally.
         9. The name of 2 colleagues who you have spoken to whom are willing to comment additionally on the staff person if further information is needed by the committee.
2. The selection committee may solicit more information from colleagues of those nominated.
3. The selection committee will forward its recommendation to the Chancellor.

The award recipient will receive the following:

• $1,500 funded by the UWL Professional Development account, for professional development of the recipient's choice. The recipient must use the funds by the end of the fiscal year in which the award was received and may also apply for additional funds through the UWL Academic Staff Professional Development Committee.
• A feature story about him/her will appear in the Campus Connection and other outlets. The recipient might also be considered for UW System publications highlighting academic staff.
• News releases about the honor will be sent to local media and the recipient's hometown, upon the recipient's consent.
• Recipients also will have their names added to a plaque recognizing yearly recipients, currently on display outside of the Chancellor's Office.

ASC Selection Procedures:

• The call for nominations will be announced in the Campus Connection and an email message. Complete nomination information, including the link to the nomination form, will be distributed to all non-instructional academic staff members who hold at least 50 percent appointments.
• The UWL Academic Staff Professional Development Committee, as appointed by the Academic Staff Council, will select the recipient. Committee members are not eligible for the award.
• When the committee has made its recommendation, it should forward the person's name and the rationale for the award to the Chancellor. In the event that the committee does not elect to submit a candidate for the award, the committee should document its reasons for withholding the award and submit this documentation to the Chancellor.
• All documents received on behalf of nominees shall become official records of the UWL Academic Staff Professional Development Committee. The committee chair will submit letters to nominees’ and recipients’ personnel files to indicate they were nominated for and/or received the award.

2022 - Dawn Hays
2021 - Thomas Harris
2020 - Dr. Abigail Deyo
2019 - Louise Janke
2018 - Angie Lee
2017 - Michael Slevin
2016 - Troy Richter
2015 - Maren Walz
2014 - Terry Wirkus
2013 - Mo McAlpine
2012 - Carla Burkhardt
2011 - Karla Stanek
2010 - Deb Veglahn
2009 - Sue Wrobel
2008 - Hong Rost
2007 - Janie Spencer*
2006 - Diane Schumacher
2005 - Marcia Johnson-Sage
2004 - Jan Von Ruden
2003 - Deon Nontelle*, Joel Chilsen
2002 - Nelda Manter, Lori Petersen
2001 - Bradley Quarberg
2000 - Jon Hageseth, Sara Slayton
1999 - Dianne Morrison, Larry Ringgenberg
1998 - Jim Jorstad*
1997 - June Reinert
1996 - Chris Bakkum
1995 - Grace Smith
1994 - Mary Torstveit

*Recipient of the UW System Board of Regents Academic Staff Excellence Award the following year.