Sample Nomination

Please note that all names and identifying information in the following nomination has been changed for the purposes of keeping the nominee and nominator anonymous. Relevant, specific details have been altered for this purpose as well.

1. How did this individual/team consistently surpass expectations in their pursuit of excellence, model exemplary leadership, and/or improve the experience of colleagues, students, faculty, and/or the campus community at large? 

   Each year, our two departments arrange a week-long conference that invites people from different institutions across the country to Tufts. This is the fifth year that this conference has been held and with each passing year it has gained popularity. Each year it becomes larger and more complex. Arrangements for the conference include hotel, travel, catering, program printing, campus space reservations, and a million more details that we don’t even fathom. But Kiersten does.On top of her normal work load, Kiersten was tasked with coordinating this conference from its beginning. She manages to organize and track conference details large and small within a busy work environment with grace and skill, while also meeting her day-to-day responsibilities and providing excellent customer service to her regular clients. She is always able to negotiate what she needs from the university’s resources.

   Each day of the conference, without fail, Kiersten arrives early in order to ensure that the room is set up and the directors/facilitators have any materials needed. Even though she is not the administrative assistant to one of the directors/facilitators, she is always willing to take care of any administrative needs to make sure the event runs smoothly. We can always depend on Kiersten, who never ceases to amaze us at how she goes over and beyond to make the conference a success. She is one in a million.

2. How did this individual/team consistently provide a superior level of service while meeting the needs of the people assisted? Please identify those whom the nominee serves or helps.

   In addition to serving the needs of the directors/facilitators and program coordinator who run the conference, Kiersten truly does provide support for the 50+ people who attend the conference. As mentioned above, this is done in ways we may not even see from moment to moment. From coordinating special dietary restrictions to last minute parking passes, from running off extra copies for an updated handout to being the liaison with our IT support – Kiersten is a magician. She makes it look effortless, but we know how hard she works behind the scenes.

3. How did this individual/team demonstrate the extraordinary spirit of being a team player?

   Kiersten has extraordinary skills in planning and improvising, but collaboration is her strong suit. In order to make this conference run smoothly and seamlessly, details must be coordinated across departments and campuses. She will not hesitate to initiate a conference call to straighten out details or to get everyone on the same page. She is efficient, tactful, and somehow manages to leave everyone smiling at the end of the phone call. Her energy and smile are contagious.

   We, the nominators, are not the only ones who recognize Kiersten’s talents and spirit. Undoubtedly, each year after the conference ends, I received several emails from attendees from across the country who compliment the conference and how well-run it is. This is all due to having the extraordinary spirit of Kiersten on our team.

   During the conference last year, despite being perfectly organized, we were blind-sighted by an unexpected snafu. The photographer that we had booked caught the flu on the conference’s opening day. We were actually unaware of all this until afterwards because without missing a beat Kiersten jumped in with her smart phone and took pictures of the key note speaker herself. The images she captured were so good that we even included one in the current year’s brochure.

4. A Closing Story. Please tell us the story of a specific situation or project that demonstrates how this nominee has met and surpassed the criteria this category rewards.

   As mentioned, organizing and running this conference is no easy task. Each year it becomes larger, more complex, and attended by more people. Last year, Kiersten, on her own volition, created an entire electronic project binder on Tufts.Box.com to track the progress leading up to the conference so that everyone involved would be on the same page. It was really quite ingenious in its simplicity and effectiveness. It allowed everyone to be aware of the details that were specific to him/her, without having to email or phone Kiersten at any given time of the day. This is just one way that Kiersten takes the initiative to use her resources to improve the quality, communication and effectiveness of the program and our team. This new practice works so well, that we’ve even adopted it for other projects in our department.