Skip to content ↓

Rewards program seeks nominations

The MIT Rewards and Recognition Program is accepting nominations for the second year of the "MIT Excellence Awards" through Wednesday, June 12. These Institute-wide awards recognize faculty and staff members who have made exceptional contributions supporting the Institute's mission, goals and values.

More than 120 nomination letters were written last year for this very competitive selection process for which all MIT faculty and staff members are eligible.

Nominations and questions should be addressed to Jackie Stinehart, program administrator for the MIT Rewards and Recognition Program, in Room E19-215, rewards@mit.edu or x3-1719.

The selection committee includes a cross section of faculty and staff, with representatives from the main campus and Lincoln Laboratory, and a balance between the academic and administrative areas. The primary factor guiding the committee's decisions will be the breadth and depth of the achievement, as it relates to the award criteria. Secondarily, the committee will select finalists who represent a cross section of staff in academic and central administrative areas, as well as multiple job classifications.

The committee will meet in early September to make its final selections. Once the award recipients have been selected, all nominators will be notified, and the supervisors of the awardees will be asked to inform the recipients. An awards ceremony will be held in Wong Auditorium at noon on Oct. 16.

Individual recipients will receive $2,000; teams will receive $10,000 ($2,000 maximum per individual).

AWARD CATEGORIES

Building Bridges will be awarded to teams and/or individuals who actively and collaboratively approach problems as opportunities for learning and growth through constructive dialogue. The initiatives and achievements may be departmental or cross-departmental and will support "boundary-blind business processes."

Fostering an Inclusive Workplace will be awarded to teams and/or individuals who have created a positive, supportive and inclusive place for employees and faculty to work, either within a single department or across the Institute. Initiatives and achievements may focus on any aspect of work life, with a particular emphasis on diversity, professional development and/or work/life balance.

Leading Change will be awarded to teams and/or individuals who have demonstrated exemplary leadership and role modeling. For example, the individual or team may continually provide a sense of purpose, vision and mission for their co-workers and/or staff; invest time and interest in coaching and mentoring; positively influence others and build consensus around organizational objectives; achieve sustainable results; and/or exhibit stewardship of MIT's resources, making it a better place for generations that follow. Professionalism, commitment to best practices and to high standards of excellence are at the heart of this award.

Making a Difference in our Communities will be awarded to teams and/or individuals who have made a significant contribution to incorporating the ideals and interests of MIT and our neighbors into our daily work. Accomplishing these objectives may involve initiating and maintaining sustainable, collaborative partnerships; actively participating in community service; and/or serving as mentors and model citizens.

Serving the Client will be awarded to teams and/or individuals who strive to improve the value and efficiency of the services they provide. The emphasis will be on quality service delivered to Institute customers including faculty and other academic staff, students, alumni and administrators, both within and across departments.

Working Smarter/Getting Results will be awarded to teams and/or individuals who have identified, created and implemented innovative solutions to improve the way work is done, making it easier, more efficient, and/or less costly, while maintaining or enhancing client satisfaction. To achieve desirable and unexpected outcomes, the team or individual will embrace and/or manage change and encourage collaboration.

A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on May 15, 2002.

Related Topics

More MIT News