Higher Education HR Awards

Workplace Excellence Award

Sponsored by EyeMed

Nominations are now closed. Award nominators and recipients will be notified in late June.

This award recognizes and celebrates institutional initiatives and programs that have made a significant impact on institutional culture by improving employee access, opportunity and engagement. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• A new recruitment program that has improved access and increased the diversity of candidate pools
• A career development program that has been created or modified to provide opportunity for more employees
• A new or improved employee engagement program that encourages employees to build professional relationships across campus
• A compensation strategy overhaul that improves pay equity and transparency
• A new or improved employee program that promotes respectful discourse and conflict resolution
• A new wellness initiative that takes a campuswide approach to promoting mental health and well-being

Through the generous support of EyeMed, CUPA-HR will make a $5,000 contribution to the institution selected.

Criteria

• The program takes a creative approach and has had a significant impact on the recruitment and retention of faculty and staff, fosters employee engagement and provides education that promotes opportunity;
• The program has been implemented and has been in place for at least one year with measurable results;
• The institution’s HR department was instrumental in creating the program and/or actively participates in the program;
• The program demonstrates an institutional commitment to building a workplace culture that is accessible, welcoming and engaging;
• Nominee’s institution is a member of CUPA-HR.

Eligibility Note: Individuals who are employed by the association, individuals who serve on the CUPA-HR national board of directors, and the institutions of those directors are not eligible to be nominated or selected for awards during their terms of service.

Virginia Tech University’s Hokie Wellness Team, led by Bryan Garey, Vice President for HR, received CUPA-HR’s Workplace Excellence Award in 2025 for its Employee Mental Health Program.