The university has already received a number of nominations for its new Tufts Distinction Awards, a new series of prizes that will recognize staff and faculty members who give back to the Tufts community.
The nomination process, which opened with a letter from University President Lawrence Bacow, will close March 31. Both students and employees are encouraged to submit nominations.
According to Kathe Cronin, vice president of Human Resources, while many nominations have been received, there is always room for more.
"We've been getting good nominations," she said. "We would love to see more."
Bacow said the awards will offer recognition to Tufts employees who go above and beyond in areas other than teaching and research.
"Our staff and faculty bring enormous talent and dedication to the work of the university," Bacow said in a letter announcing the awards. "Thanks to their efforts, Tufts is a place of excellence where students thrive and new ideas flourish."
Bacow conceptualized the awards himself, according to Cronin. "I would give Bacow credit for bringing the idea up at various meetings with administrators," she said. "He's been a primary driver behind the program."
Cronin said that the Tufts Distinction Awards will be the first university-wide recognition program, unlike similar ones that have developed on a campus-by-campus basis.
The 15-member selection committee incorporates representatives that Bacow personally selected from a number of different departments, including the School of Arts and Sciences and the Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging.
"The goal was to come up with a selection committee that was diverse and represented the [range] of work done at the university," said Michael Baenen, Bacow's chief of staff. "We tried to get a mix because we don't want this to be something centered on Medford and the central administration."
David Garman was chosen as the representative of the School of Arts and Sciences faculty. He is an associate professor of economics who specializes in the economics of higher education.
Garman is enthusiastic about the creation of the awards. "I've been at Tufts about 25 years, and over 25 years I've seen a lot of faculty and staff that do much more than their job requires," he said. "I think this is a great opportunity to recognize some of those people."
While the awards are open to faculty and staff members, not everyone is eligible. Only full-time employees may receive the honor. Members of the selection committee are also excluded from receiving an award.
Each award is accompanied by a $1,000 stipend. The money from these awards comes from the university's administrative budget, according to Baenen.
The committee will determine the exact number of awards that it will give this year after reviewing the applications. At least one award will be given for each of the four categories, which are dedicated to honoring the following: Those who have shown outstanding public service; those who have helped others to excel; those who have created new opportunities for innovation; and those who have simply gone above and beyond in everyday activities.
Award recipients will be honored at a ceremony in the Distler Performance Hall of Granoff Music Center on June 3. The event will be open to the entire community, including students.
Anyone may nominate either an individual or a team by accessing the program's Web site. Nominations involve writing an overview, answering several questions and adding closing remarks as to why the employee should receive the award.
This article has been amended from its origial version to correct a factual error.
