Nominees sought for Administrative Improvement Award

Nominees are being sought for a campus award that recognizes exceptional performance in administrative roles supporting academics, research, student services, outreach or administration.

The Administrative Improvement Award this year places greater emphasis on process improvement and collaborative work.

The award will recognize outstanding work in process redesign-development or customer service-delivery that resulted in improved efficiency, increased revenue channels, cost savings or improved service delivery.

In a message to the campus this week, Chancellor Rebecca Blank, Provost Paul M. DeLuca Jr. and Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Darrell Bazzell stressed the importance of improvement efforts campuswide.

“This awards program was established in 2013 because it is important to acknowledge that our students’ success is supported by the operations and administration of the university,” they said in an email to staff. “Such efforts are critical to UW–Madison’s mission and are very much appreciated.”

The nomination form and guidelines are available online and the nomination deadline is April 18, 2014. This year’s awards will be presented at a special campus ceremony in early June.

Among the criteria for evaluating nominees are:

• Time was taken to identify and understand the needs of customers
• Data were gathered and used in decision-making
• Results were measured
• A plan was established to sustain improvements

All current UW–Madison employees serving in an administrative role that supports student services, research, academics and administration are eligible for the award if they are:

• Classified/Unclassified
• Student Employees
• Faculty
• Employees who contribute to administrative duties
• Employees who contribute to student services

Nominees can be an individual or a team. Submissions for individuals may reference multiple examples that demonstrate a sustained focus on administrative improvement. Anyone on campus may submit nominations. However, self-nominations are discouraged and will not be accepted.

If you have any questions about the Administrative Improvement Award, please contact Scott Hildebrand, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, at shildebrand@vc.wisc.edu.