Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service

The Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service recognizes consistently superior professional achievement within and beyond the position.

• Eligibility

  Candidate Background

  Candidates must presently be serving in full-time professional service capacities (not necessarily titles) with more than 50 percent of their assignment in non-teaching services. The latter include academic administration, business affairs, student affairs, institutional support technologies, instructional and research support technologies and directors of campus libraries. It is the intent that the Professional Service award be reserved for staff working full-time within their nominating campus. Full-time faculty (as defined in the eligibility criteria for Faculty Service) are not eligible. In the case of split-assignments across the nominating campus, individuals are eligible for nomination for this award if they are serving in a full-time professional capacity.  In addition, support staff not serving in professional class titles are ineligible for nomination, but are eligible for nomination in the Classified Service Awards category.  Please note, promotion within a department does not preclude a person from being nominated.

  Length of Service

  Candidates must have completed three academic years of full-time appointment (years do not need to be consecutive) at the nominating campus prior to the year of nomination.

  Restrictions

  Individuals serving in the classified services are ineligible for nomination (e.g., positions paid on an hourly rather than salary basis are generally in the classified services).

  Special Considerations for the Professional Service Award

  Exclusively for the Excellence in Professional Service Award, nominations may be made by not-for-profit agencies serving a State University function at one of the organization units (e.g., the campus Research Foundation offices, etc.) of the State University of New York.  Any such nominations count toward the total allocations permissible for the nominating campus.  For the purposes of the Professional Service Award, the State University System Administration is considered a campus.  It may make one Professional Service nomination drawn from the aggregate of eligible staff at the System Administration the State University Construction Fund, SUNY Charter Schools Institute and the SUNY Research Foundation.

  Recipients of an Excellence Award may not be nominated for an Excellence Award in another category within a five-year interval.

• Selection Criteria

  Nominees for the award must be individuals who have repeatedly sought improvement of themselves, their campuses and ultimately the State University and, in doing so, have transcended the normal definitions of excellence.

  Nominees shall be those individuals who can serve as professional role models for a University system in the pursuit of excellence.  The following criteria shall be used in selecting persons for nomination of this award:

  • Within the Position Description - The candidate must perform superbly in fulfilling the job description for the position held; and
  • Beyond the Position Description - The candidate should also demonstrate excellence in professional activities beyond the parameters of the job description.  The ideal candidate will satisfy the standards in a creative and innovative fashion while demonstrating flexibility and adaptability to institutional needs.  Consideration should be given to capabilities and accomplishments in the areas of leadership, decision-making and problem-solving.  Evidence in this category includes, but is not limited to, professional recognitions, initiation of ideas, development of proposals and committee activities.
• Items to include in Nomination File
  • Letter of Nomination*
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Job Description
  • Letters for Recommendation**
    • Statements from Direct Supervisor (maximum of three)
    • Statements from Colleagues (maximum of three)
    • Statements from Constituents (maximum of three)
  • Other evidence of Excellence in Professional Service not spoken to in above categories (optional: maximum of one).

  *As a courtesy, the appropriate vice president will be notified of nominees in his/her division.

  **The Selection Committee recommends that, if possible, you solicit more than the maximum number of letters permitted for each category so that you have a choice of which letters to include in the nomination file.