Staff Excellence Awards

Celebrating Staff Excellence at Catholic University

The Staff Excellence Awards at Catholic University recognize outstanding staff contributions and celebrate those who embody the University’s commitment to collaboration, service, innovation, and excellence.

The awards highlight staff members who make a meaningful difference for their colleagues, students, and the University community — and help demonstrate what excellence looks like in practice.

All award recipients must be current regular, full-time staff members who have been employed by the University for at least one year. Nominees may not have received the same award category within the past three years.
 

Award Details and Instructions

Please note that the deadline for nominations is October 12, 2026.

• Nominate a Colleague (Awards for Collaboration Excellence, Student Impact, and Innovation Excellence)
• CommUNITY Committee Award
• Presidential Excellence Award
• Award Recognition

Nominate a Colleague

Faculty and staff are invited to nominate a colleague for one of the following three awards. Self-nominations are not permitted.

Collaboration Excellence Award

The Collaboration Excellence Award recognizes a staff member who excels at building partnerships and embodies the spirit of collaboration. This award honors someone who bridges department boundaries, builds meaningful partnerships, and brings people together to serve the University community more effectively.

Criteria

• Builds partnerships: Actively seeks opportunities to collaborate across departments and organizational levels and demonstrates enthusiasm and openness in working toward shared goals.
• Builds relationships: Develops and maintains strong, trusting, and collaborative relationships across departments.
• Creates unity: Brings diverse teams together around shared objectives and builds consensus.
  Communicates effectively: Shares ideas clearly, respectfully, and constructively with colleagues across the University.
• Connects the University: Helps bring distinct parts of the University together into a more cohesive whole.
• Advances the mission: Builds a culture of community, shared stewardship, and mutual support.

Student Impact Award

The Student Impact Award recognizes a staff member who goes above and beyond to positively shape the student experience. This individual demonstrates an exceptional commitment to students’ personal, spiritual, academic, and professional development, well-being, belonging, and success.

Criteria

• Makes a meaningful impact: Contributes to students’ growth, flourishing, well-being, belonging, or success.
• Goes above and beyond: Demonstrates exceptional initiative, care, responsiveness, or service beyond the normal expectations of the role.
• Builds relationships: Provides mentorship, accompaniment, and meaningful personal investment in students.
• Provides support and solves problems: Identifies student needs or barriers and connects students with resources, opportunities, services, or support.
• Makes an impact behind the scenes: Strengthens programs, processes, resources, services, or environments that help students thrive.
• Creates lasting impact: Demonstrates sustained investment in students or creates improvements that continue to benefit them over time, including through collaboration with campus partners.

Innovation Excellence Award

The Innovation Excellence Award celebrates a staff member who brings creativity, curiosity, and courage to solving problems. This award recognizes someone who challenges the status quo, reimagines existing processes, and introduces ideas that create meaningful impact.

Criteria

• Solves problems creatively: Develops an original or unconventional solution to a persistent challenge or unmet need.
• Improves processes: Redesigns, streamlines, or automates a workflow, system, or procedure to increase efficiency, reduce costs, or improve quality.
• Takes initiative: Identifies opportunities for improvement and takes ownership of implementing solutions.
• Creates measurable impact: Delivers demonstrable results through data, feedback, or observable improvements.
• Influences others: Engages colleagues in adopting new ideas, processes, or tools and builds enthusiasm and buy-in.
• Adapts to change: Applies innovative thinking in response to changing circumstances, constraints, or emerging needs.

Submit a Nomination

Know a colleague who exemplifies collaboration, student impact, or innovation? Nominate them for a Staff Excellence Award.

Deadline: Nominations close October 12, 2026.

Nominations require:

• A completed nomination form.
• A minimum 500-word narrative explaining why the nominee deserves recognition.
• Two specific examples demonstrating how the nominee exemplifies the award criteria.
• At least two supporting references, including names and contact information.

CommUNITY Committee Award

Sponsored by the CommUNITY Committee

The CommUNITY Committee Award recognizes a staff member who is deeply valued and widely respected by colleagues across campus.

Criteria

• Consistently helps and supports colleagues, including through mentoring and professional development.
• Demonstrates reliability and trustworthiness in team settings.
• Goes above and beyond to assist colleagues, including those outside their immediate team.
• Contributes to a positive workplace culture and morale by fostering collegiality and celebrating the achievements of others.
• Is recognized by peers as someone who makes their work easier or more enjoyable through helpfulness, efficiency, grace, and professionalism.

Nominations for this award are submitted, reviewed, and decided by members of the CommUNITY Committee.

Presidential Excellence Award

The Presidential Excellence Award recognizes a staff member whose performance and impact rise well above the standard expected of their role. It honors sustained, exceptional contribution that has materially advanced the University’s mission — not simply a single successful project or year.

Criteria

• Demonstrates outstanding performance: Exceeds expectations in core responsibilities while taking on work beyond the formal job description and managing competing priorities without sacrificing quality.
• Advances the University’s mission: Produces measurable results tied to University priorities.
• Leads with consistency and professionalism: Leads by example, maintains high standards under pressure, and demonstrates professionalism during challenges and setbacks.
• Impacts the broader University: Benefits multiple departments or the institution as a whole and builds effective cross-functional relationships.
• Serves as a role model: Demonstrates the behaviors and values that the University wants to see reflected across its staff community.

Nominations for this award are submitted by vice presidents and deans.

Award Recognition

Each Staff Excellence Award recipient receives:

• A personalized, framed certificate of recognition signed by the President.
• A one-time $750 bonus added to payroll.
• Public recognition at the annual staff gathering, in This Week, and on the University website.
• A photo with the President for display and publication.

Award recipients will be recognized and awards presented at the annual Christmas gathering.