Eligibility

• Must be a permanent civil service, permanent academic professional (up to Senior Associate Director), or visiting academic professional employee working within the System Offices in an active continuing appointment at the time of the nomination.
• Must have held a minimum of a 50% active appointment within the System Offices during the award cycle (January - December 2023). 
• Must have the equivalent of at least two years of service within the System Offices as a permanent civil service, permanent academic professional, or visiting academic professional employee by the nomination deadline.
• Individual and team members must be in compliance with Ethics and ANCRA training for the academic year covered and also have a work record in good standing.
• If the nominee is currently retired or has left the System Offices for a university (UIUC, UIC, UIS) position, he/she must have been in a System Offices status appointment during the award cycle for which he/she is being nominated.

Employees who have previously received the individual award are again eligible for the award after ten years from the date of their previous award. 

Award Criteria

Awards will be given based on the degree to which the nominee meets the following criteria:

• Demonstrates excellence in overall work performance.
• Exhibits initiative and creativity resulting in improved operating efficiency of the department and/or University.
• Promotes positive morale by displaying a congenial, supportive attitude and by providing service to others.
• Puts forth an effort to improve self as well as to develop and recognize others.
• Enhances the image of the department and/or University.

These areas are qualities that are valued by the System Offices. Please see the Individual Criteria for assistance determining where specific examples and qualities should fall.

Nominations may be made by any member of the university system community (civil service, academic professional, faculty or student). Please note that members of the DELTA Selection Committee are not eligible to submit a nomination. The nomination of individuals for this award is a three-step process:

Step One - Nomination

First, the nominator must submit the online nomination by the nomination deadline of Monday, February 26, 2024. 

The online nomination form requires the following:

1. Nomination Form
2. NominationStatement (View Sample) - The nomination statement includes the following:
   1. Description of how the nominee meets the award criteria. Nominators must provide specific supporting examples for each of the criteria, in addition to a general description of the nominee's collective characteristics  on these criteria. Please see the Individual Criteria for assistance.
   2. Nomination statements should be no more than 500 words per question, single-spaced with at least a 10-point font.

​In the event multiple nominations are submitted for one employee, the selection committee will select the one nomination for that individual that most closely exemplifies the objectives of DELTA.

Step Two - Selection

The selection process is based on an independent review of the nominations and the award criteria. The decision to make an individual nominee an award recipient is based on the award criteria ratings and group discussion of the selection committee. In the event the selection committee cannot determine award recipients, finalists will be chosen and nominators notified if their nominee is a finalist. At that time, nominators will be asked to provide two letters of recommendation. Nomination letters for individuals should come from two individuals (other than the nominator) who are familiar with the nominee's work. The nominator is responsible for selecting the appropriate individuals to provide letters of recommendation.  

Step Three - Notification

The program coordinator contacts the nominator to inform them their nominee has been selected as an award recipient. Nominators are given the option of informing the nominee themselves or having the program coordinator inform the award recipient. A letter of congratulations will be sent via email to the individual award recipients (copying the nominators and their respective managers and/or department heads) officially informing them of the award. All individual award recipients will be notified of their nominator.  

The nominators whose nominees did not receive the award will be notified with a letter via email.   

Selection/Evaluation Process

Individuals will be judged in comparison to their peers in the award category. Examples and achievements will only be considered if they are related to work in the department and/or at the University.

Awards

At a minimum, awards will given to one (1) academic professional and one (1) civil service employee.  This includes supervisors and non-supervisors.  Each individual award recipient will receive $1,500 (after taxes) and a commemorative trophy. Recipients will also be honored at an annual award ceremony.