Nomination Guidelines & Form

Please read the following nomination guidelines carefully.

Staff Distinction Awards are based on achievement and contribution to the College in the four specified award categories. You may nominate staff members on the basis of their entire SMC career to-date and/or on the basis of their contributions within the twelve-month period preceding the opening of each year’s nomination period.

Who May Submit Nominations

Only SMC staff, faculty, and Brothers can nominate potential award recipients.
Nominations can occur in multiple ways, such as:
- Peer-to-peer, supervisor-to-staff, and staff-to-supervisor
- People can be nominated by someone who works within their department and/or by someone who’s outside their department or functional area
The following nomination restrictions apply:
- Staff cannot nominate themselves
- Staff cannot nominate a spouse, partner, or family member

What To Do Before Completing the Form

Select the award category. Choose the most appropriate award category for your nominee. Please do not nominate an individual for more than one category. In your nomination you will explain how your nominee has met the category criteria.
Prepare the text of your nomination in advance. We strongly recommend that you write your nomination text first in a Word document or comparable document and then copy/paste it into the fields provided on the form. Answering these questions will help you write the nomination. As you progress through the online form, you will be able to save your work.

Tips for Writing a Successful Nomination

Make sure to address the nomination questions listed below.
Speak to how the nominee meets the specific award category and contributes to the College Community
Get support from others who support this person’s nomination – split up the nomination questions to share writing the nomination text
It’s O.K. to provide some information in bullet-list format.
Avoid jargon. Although you may be very familiar with the nominee’s work, the selection committee members may not be. Keep this in mind as you describe the nature and quality of achievements and contributions.
Include measurable results when applicable (e.g. monetary savings, evidence of improved morale, a desirable increase/decrease in a key performance indicator)
Include multiple examples of how the person contributed beyond the normal expectations of the job (relevant to the award category you selected).

Use the questions below as a guide when preparing your nomination.

1. For which award category are you nominating this individual?

2. Give us some background information that conveys why the individual is being nominated.

If possible, briefly describe the nominee’s position and general job responsibilities.
Why is the individual’s contribution/achievement significant and deserving of recognition?
Is there an issue, problem, or situation that the individual successfully addressed?
What characteristics of this individual are noteworthy?

3. Describe some actions or steps that were taken by this person related to the award category for which you’re nominating him/her.

Customer Service – How did this person contribute to exemplary customer service?
Inclusive Excellence & Building SMC Community – How did this individual enhance diversity/inclusion and foster campus community-building?
Leadership – How did this individual serve as a role model, lead by example, and motivate others to achieve College goals?
U nsung Hero – How did this individual go above and beyond the call of duty or take special initiative to solve problems or help others?

4. What were the results of the contribution or achievement?

What impact does the contribution/achievement have on a department and or the College?
How does the Campus Community benefit (note that community may include staff, faculty, students, Brothers, administration, the College as a whole)
How did the contribution/achievement improve service quality and/or efficiency?
How did the contribution support SMC’s core values, mission and/or strategic objectives?

Getting Assistance

Please refer to the Staff Distinction Awards FAQs for more information.