2014’s Distinguished Employee Award winners announced

UVU’s Professional Association of Campus Employees has recently announced the 12 winners of PACE’s 2014 Distinguished Employee Award.  This year’s awardees consisted of eight full-time and four part-time staff members.

Every year PACE sponsors the Distinguished Employee Award, and on their website they offer a look back at all the awardees over the years since 2002.  The award exists to recognize exceptional UVU employees.  This year’s full-time employees that were selected for the award are Sam Banford, Michael Snapp, Jason McKenna, Curtis Puze, Clint Burgi, Malinda Randall, Eileen Crane, and Susan Palmer.  The four part-time employees who received this year’s award are Jamie Knudsen, Brandon Bolander, Trent Boyer, and Kaite Poole.

“Winning the award…is an honor,” said Trent Boyer, new student orientation coordinator. “It is great to be recognized for working hard and for hopefully making Orientation a better program. I just want to say thank you to those who nominated me and thank you to the university.”

Of the two awards PACE sponsors, the Distinguished Employee Award is the highest honor given to UVU staff.

“Full-time and part-time employees of Utah Valley University are recognized for exceptional performance through the PACE Distinguished Employee Award program,” said Sue Stephenson, Chair of the Employee Recognition committee.  “Through these awards, exceptional UVU employees are acknowledged by their peers to be outstanding in their professions and to embody exemplary character traits and work ethics.”

Fellow employees nominate candidates for the Distinguished Employee Award.   Nominees are judged on three criteria; contribution to UVU’s core themes (engaged, inclusive, serious, and student success), contribution of new ideas or processes, and creation of goodwill for UVU, the community, or their department.

After peers have completed and submitted the PACE nomination form to the Chair of the PACE Employee Recognition Committee, the committee begins an evaluation process of the candidates.  The committee evaluates the candidates through conversations with associates of the candidates, nomination statements and supervisor comments.

“The Committee then recommends up to eight full-time and up to four part-time (non-student position) candidates to the PACE Executive Board for final approval,” said Stephenson.  “The awards are presented by the PACE president, the president-elect, and the Distinguished Employee Award committee members.”

Recipients of this award were required to have been employed full-time for three years or part-time for one year.  Recipients of the award also cannot have received the award in the previous five years.

This years awardees were presented with a candy filled mug, a balloon and a certificate.  The awardees will also be publicly honored at the Summer University event with a plaque, as President Holland and PACE President, Brett McKeachnie, make the awards.

The full-time employees that receive the award receive $1,000 each and part-time staff are awarded with $500 each.

Along with the Distinguished Employee Award, PACE sponsors the Wolverine Sighting award.

“The award seeks to recognize staff members who support student success, foster a culture of professionalism and excellence, benefit the UVU community or promote opportunities for diversity in their approach to service at UVU,” said Stephenson.

Students, faculty, community members, administration, and other staff members submit nominations for the Wolverine Sighting award on an ongoing basis.   Winners of the Wolverine Sighting award are drawn monthly.

PACE was organized in 1983 for the purpose of representing non-teaching employees of Utah Valley University.  The University President, his administration, and the Board of Trustees sanction PACE.  Membership to PACE is provided to all full-time and part-time staff (with the exception of student employees, faculty and executives).