Organizational Culture Award

About the EDUCAUSE Organizational Culture Award

The EDUCAUSE Organizational Culture Award recognizes the degree to which success in higher education institutions depends on fostering a healthy campus culture. Technology initiatives and innovation are always powered by people, and this award celebrates an individual or team who works to contribute to a positive and thriving campus culture. This individual or team is a catalyst for positive change, demonstrating leadership in creating a supportive and engaging environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to succeed.

Awards will be made at the discretion of the Recognition Committee which may choose to grant one award, no award, or multiple awards in any one year. In general, EDUCAUSE awards are not intended to be given posthumously.

Individuals and teams are eligible for this award. The relative ability of individuals vs. teams to contribute and make an impact will be taken into account during judging.

Nomination Requirements

Anyone may submit a nomination for the Organizational Culture Award, with the candidate's permission. Self-nominations are accepted. Nominations must clearly document why the candidate or team should be considered, above all others, for this distinguished award.

Nominations must contain sufficient information to inform the selection process without additional research. Complete nominations must include the nominee's (or team members’) curriculum vitae or résumé(s). Although a CV or résumé provides the committee with a more comprehensive overview of the nominee's (or team members’) accomplishments and experiences, it is not a substitute for any of the required information listed below. After reviewing the initial nomination submissions, the committee may request reference letters to assist in the evaluation of the nominees under consideration.

Each nominee or team will be judged against the following required criteria:

• Leadership of relevant initiatives to improve organizational culture in the institution or institutions where they have been or are employed
• Leadership of initiatives to advance concepts and practices relating to positive organizational culture in EDUCAUSE venues (conferences, webinars, publications, workshops, etc.)
• Leadership of initiatives to advance concepts and practices relating to positive organizational culture in the profession (conferences, webinars, publications, workshops, etc.).

In addition, the committee will also look for evidence of tangible results, such as:

• Raising awareness about challenges and opportunities related to culture change
• Creating successful frameworks for addressing challenges and creating opportunities for improvement
• Implementing initiatives that make positive contributions in areas such as work-life balance, burnout, mental health and well-being, and teamwork.
• Leading in the creation of efforts to ensure that everyone feels valued and empowered to succeed

Guidelines and Eligibility

• An EDUCAUSE award is intended to be a rare recognition. No individual awards (vs. team awards) will be given more than once to the same individual. Preference for the Leadership Award and the Community Leadership Award will be given to candidates who have not received either of these awards previously. Preference for awards in general is given to those who have not recently received an EDUCAUSE award.
• Candidates must be or have been contributing members of our professional community, directly associated with managing information technology and resources in higher education, who have made significant and demonstrable contributions to the field.
• Candidates may not be currently serving on the EDUCAUSE Board, staff, or Recognition Committee.
• Anyone within or outside of higher education may submit nominations for the award.
• Individuals or teams are eligible for this award.
• If an individual selected to receive an award will not be employed at an EDUCAUSE member institution at the time of the annual conference, the committee will reevaluate and has the option to select another candidate.

Recognition

Individual award recipients are recognized at the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference and receive complimentary registration, travel, and housing for the conference. Recipients also receive a presentation slot at the annual conference and a $3,000 honorarium, which can be put toward another EDUCAUSE event. Highlights of awardees’ accomplishments are also added to the award gallery on the EDUCAUSE website.

For teams of two or more who receive the award, EDUCAUSE staff will determine an awards package to be provided to the designee of the team for registration, travel, and/or honoraria. Team recipients will be given an annual conference session to be presented by the team or a selected subset of the team. EDUCAUSE has the option of providing additional support on a case-by-case basis.

Recipients will also earn an EDUCAUSE microcredential as a way to digitally document and display their achievement.

Recipients

This is a new EDUCAUSE award.