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Ramapo College Staff Recognition Program

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The Staff Recognition Program recognizes excellence and extraordinary effort demonstrated by full-time and part-time non-temporary Ramapo College employees (non-faculty).

Celebrate the Award Recipients

Below please find the three award categories and criteria.

Nomination Process
  • Nominations may be made by students, staff or faculty members. Employees may nominate themselves.
  • Nominations may be submitted electronically via the web forms above or via hardcopy forms. Hardcopy forms will be available for pick up from Public Safety, Facilities, Student Affairs (C-212), the Learning Commons Circulation Desk, POER (D-111) and EDIC (D-104).
  • Would you like to nominate someone for an award but would like some support in authoring or submitting the nomination form? No problem, contact any Committee member (see below) and we will provide you with assistance!
  • The application process was open through May 14.
Eligibility

The Staff Recognition Program Committee will review the eligibility of nominees in accord with the following criteria. Nominees must:

  1. be full-time permanent staff or part-time non-temporary staff (non-faculty)
  2. be employed in current position for at least one full year at the time of nomination

Once an employee is recognized for an award, the employee is ineligible to be awarded for five years.

**Within the five years, individual award recipients shall not be excluded from being recognized as a member of a group or team (Staff Excellence in Service and the Staff Team Award). Also, members of the Staff Team Award are eligible for individuals awards within the five-year time period.

Ramapo

Staff Leadership Award

Awarded to a Ramapo College staff member who, in that year, assumed a leadership role and successfully effected positive change. (up to three recipients – two union awardees and one manager)

The Staff Leadership category recognizes individuals who have demonstrated leadership while contributing to building an effective and positive work environment and/or strengthening an aspect of the student experience. Individuals nominated should demonstrate at least three of the following qualities:

  • Successfully leading a team to complete a significant institutional project
  • Motivating others to perform at an exceptional level through morale building exercises or exemplary work
  • Identifying a specific recurring issue on campus and implementing practices to resolve the issue or leading the effort to develop a response
  • Assuming additional assignments and challenging projects to advance the goals of the unit/division/College
  • Going above and beyond to foster a healthy and safe environment for employees to work and students to learn
  • Others as appropriate
Ramapo

Staff Excellence in Service Award

Awarded to an individual or recognized group that, in that year, provided exemplary service to College constituents and our physical campus. (up to three individual/group recipients)

The Staff Excellence in Service category recognizes individuals, units/departments or other recognized groups who foster cooperation, collaboration and open communication. Individuals or recognized groups nominated should demonstrate at least three of the following qualities:

  • Excellent constituent service which met a special need of a student, visitor, colleague or faculty member evidenced by feedback from the community
  • Sincere cooperation, positive attitude and exceptional willingness to assist others
  • Willingness to go beyond the explicit parameters of a job description to better serve the College
  • A commitment to the spirit of diversity and behavior which demonstrates inclusion of persons who are members of traditionally underrepresented groups
  • Empathy and humility as a colleague, a mentor and/or educator
  • Outstanding acts of public service above and beyond the duties and responsibilities of the employee’s position which reflect credit upon Ramapo College of New Jersey
  • Others as appropriate
Ramapo

Cross-Core Team Project Award

The Cross-Core Team Project Award is awarded to a group of three or more staff members from at least two
College Cores who achieved a significant outcome or project by working as a team. The Cross-Core Team
Project Award is focused on recognizing collaboration across units/departments and Cores. In that spirit, staff
members from at least two different Cores must have contributed to the same team project. The Cores of the
College are: Executive, Teaching & Learning, Student Well-Being, Outreach & Engagement, Operational
Integration, and Fiscal Health.

Cross-Core Team Project nominees must demonstrate the following:

  • Completion of a significant outcome or project in support of one or more of the College’s strategic plan’s goals.
  • Advancement of a minimum of three of the six priorities Dr. Jebb outlined on July 28, 2021:
    • Foster a healthy, well, and safe environment for work and study.
    • Deliver a high-quality, vibrant student experience.
    • Be equitable in practices to assess the fairness and effectiveness of decisions.
    • Be creative and reflective—empowered to apply what is learned and willing to grow from those lessons.
    • Be gentle with one another—demonstrating empathy and humility as colleagues, as mentors, and as educators in order to be stronger partners.
    • Be adaptable and resilient—recognize that conditions are impermanent and new challenges are inevitable.
  • Collaboration: The team will have demonstrated strong collaboration skills, balanced ownership across all the team members to achieve the outcome or project, and exemplified what it means to be “good teammates”
  • Team composition and talent: The team will have reflected the diversity of the College.

Cross-Core Project Award Example: A project completed by staff from Marketing & Communications and
the Center for Student Involvement would qualify because the units are from two different Cores. A project
completed by the staff from People Operations & Employee Resources, ITS and Events & Conferences would
not qualify because the units are all within the same Core.

Ramapo
Program Committee
  • All nominations are reviewed by the Staff Recognition Program Committee.
  • 2024 Committee Co-chairs: Jennifer Hicks McGowan (POER) & Jineane Miller Lajam (EDIC)
  • 2024 Committee members include: Rajesh Adhikari (2023 winner), Roger Jans (2023 winner), Ivan Velasquez (2023 Winner), Karley Berrios (CWA rep), Jack Nesmith (2023 winner), Nicole Morgan Agard (Team Award 2023 rep), Veronica Olshefski (2023 winner), Edward Shannon (AFT rep) and John Zukow (IFPTE rep).
  • Nominations are confirmed confidentially and as needed with unit supervisors/division heads.
  • The Committee makes recommendations to the President, who then makes the final selection.
  • Committee members are not permitted to submit nominations for awards.
  • Committee members shall maintain the confidentiality of all nominations.
  • Committee members are not eligible for individual awards.
  • Committee members nominated as part of a Cross-Core Project Award shall recuse themselves from voting on those nominations.
  • Award recipients are invited to serve on the Program Committee the following year.
Recognition and Presentation
  • Individual recipients will be presented with a personalized award.
  • Recipients will be announced with formal presentation at a Board of Trustees meeting.
  • Individual and group recipients shall receive a letter from the President copied to their personnel file.
  • Recipient names and photos (when available) will be included on the web.
  • Individual and group nominees shall be notified of their nomination after the award recipients are announced.

The program is reviewed annually based on the availability of resources and the merit of the nominations.