Awards

Awards Committee

This committee reports to the Vice-President.  Committee chairs should have at least one year of committee experience. End-of-year committee reports will be provided by the Vice-President at the beginning of the year so the chair has knowledge of previous committee activity. 

The duties are to determine the award winners for the Leadership and OOPA Awards as well as the Membership, Participation, and Fundraising.  Present all awards at the Annual Recognition Event.

Leadership and OOPA Awards

Duties

  • Request nominations throughout March with a March 31st deadline. Send reminders one week before deadline and the day before the deadline.
    • Send request/reminders for nominations to PSEOP members
    • Send request for nominations to PSEOP website coordinator for posting on PSEOP Sharepoint site and Facebook page
      • The Lisa Brungart Leadership Award is internal  – only for PSEOP members. Please do not send a nominations request for this award externally.
    • Send *only* OOPA request for nominations to the Human Resources Officer for distribution to the HR listserv or in a “News to Know”.
      • This award nomination should be distributed to all of UP and the campuses.
    • Email Justin McDaniel, jam618, and request the call for OOPA nominations to appear in Penn State News & Penn State Today
  • Chair of committee will set up the Awards Committee channel to give committee members appropriate access and upload all nominations.
  • Review nominations with Awards Committee after March 31st.  Determine winner.
  • Email regrets to all nominators for OOPA and Leadership. 
  • Contact OOPA and Leadership winner nominators for their notification preference and extend invitation to the banquet.  Some nominators want to tell the winners themselves.
  • See Congratulations letter and Nominator letter examples in Awards Committee channel files.
    • Pay for awardee’s lunch and the person who nominated them.
    • Up to 3 guests may be invited at the PSEOP member price.
  • Have 3 blue tinted flames engraved at Signature Engraving with the year the winner receives the award. (See notes below for contact information)
    • Leadership – Large Flame Award
    • OOPA  – 2 Medium Flame Awards (1 each for UP and campus winners)
  • Prepare certificates and put in folder to present at banquet.  Templates are in Awards Committee channel in Teams.
    • OOPA winners also receive a one-year membership certificate from Secretary.
  • Request to have checks made out to the winners from PSEOP treasurer.
    • Leadership $150
    • OOPA $75
  • Provide winners names to the Program Chair to be added to the banquet PowerPoint presentation.
  • Prepare speeches from the nomination letters to say about the winners at the Annual Recognition Event. (Each Committee member should be asked if they’d like to present an award – the President will be at the front of the room to hand out award after Awards Committee announces them.)
  • Ask recipients if they would like to say a few words (a short acceptance speech) at the banquet.  If so, add to banquet program.
  • Ask Program Committee Chair for a list of banquet attendees to be sure recipients will be present (if not email them).
  • Complete certificates for departing officers (president, secretary and treasurer).

Notes

  • Official titles of the awards are; “Lisa Brungart Leadership Award” (named after a member who passed away in December 2008 and was extremely committed to PSEOP) and “Outstanding Office Professional Award”.
  • Determination of winner should be determined by each committee member ranking the nominations.
  • OOPA is given to anybody at the University or University commonwealth campuses. Winner does not need to be a member of PSEOP.  We will advertise for a University Park recipient AND a commonwealth campus recipient.
  • The Leadership award is for PSEOP members only.
  • If you only receive one nomination for an award and it doesn’t meet the criteria, you don’t have to award it.
  • These awards may only be received once in a five-year time period.
  • Templates for certificates, procedures, nomination guidelines/forms, etc. are posted on the PSEOP Awards Box.
  • Signature Engraving, 119 South Fraser Street, 814-234-6010, steve@signatureengraving.com.
  • After the banquet:
    • Send winner’s names and pictures to website coordinator to update the running list of winners on the website.
    • Send a short write-up of all winners to the Outreach Committee for posting on the Penn State Newswire after banquet.
    • Request current Vice President or Assistant Treasurer to send a welcome letter to OOPA winners and attach a membership form for them to complete. Enter their information in the membership database for the next year.

Participation and Fundraising Awards

Duties

  • Request the member that attended the most meetings/events for the year from the Secretary for the participation award.
    • Exclude Exec members and the chair of the Program Committee
  • Request the member that raised the most money from the fundraising chair for the fundraising award.
    • Winner is based on the amount of money raised – not number of items sold.
  • Complete certificates and put in folder to present at banquet.
  • Notify all recipients to encourage them to attend the banquet.
  • Present winners with a $10 gift certificate to the Creamery and a certificate.
  • Provide the Program Committee Chair with the participation and fundraising award recipient to add to the banquet PowerPoint.
  • Complete PowerPoint presentation with participation and fundraising award recipient.
  • Prepare to announce: 
    • The number of meetings/events the winner attended for the participation award
    • The amount of money raised by the winner for the fundraising award
  • Ask Program Committee Chair for a list of banquet attendees to be sure recipients will be present (if not email them).

Notes

  • Templates for certificates, procedures, nomination guidelines/forms are located on the PSEOP Awards Box.  Send winners’ names to website coordinator to update the running list of winners on the website.

Membership Awards

Duties

  • Request the milestone members (in 5 year increments; 5, 10, 15…) from the Assistant Treasurer, who keeps the membership roster.
  • Complete certificates and put in folder to present at banquet.
  • Complete PowerPoint presentation with membership award recipients.

Notes

  • Title was changed in 2011 from Service Awards to Membership Awards to reflect that we have members who pay their membership dues on a regular basis but may not actually provide any service to PSEOP.
  • Service pins were given out previously but discontinued in 2011.
  • Initiation date from membership roster is used to determine membership awardees.

Officer Awards

Duties

  • Incoming (new) officers will be announced by the outgoing President.
  • Exiting  (departing) officers will be announced by the new President.
  • Complete certificate for departing officers (president, secretary, and treasurer).

Notes

  • Templates for certificates, procedures, nomination guidelines/forms, etc. are located on the PSEOP Box.
  • Send winners’ names to website coordinator to update the list of previous officers on the website.

July/August

Chair of the Awards Committee should prepare an end of the year report including yearly activities to submit to the President.