Higher Ed HR Awards

Southern Region Awards

Nominations for 2018 are now closed. Nominations for 2019 will open in January 2019.

Southern Region Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award is designed to recognize the member of the CUPA-HR Southern Region who most exemplifies distinguished service to the human resources profession and to CUPA-HR. 

Criteria

To be nominated, the individual must:

  • Have a record of outstanding service to CUPA-HR within the past five fiscal years;
  • Have demonstrated professionalism in the field of higher education human resources; and
  • Have participated in CUPA-HR leadership activities.

Southern Region HR Excellence Award

Sponsored by VALIC

This regional award honors transformative HR work in higher education, recognizing individuals or teams who have provided HR leadership resulting in significant and ongoing organizational change within their institutions. The recipient of this regional award will be submitted to the national awards committee for consideration for the national HR Excellence Award. Thanks to the generous support of VALIC, CUPA-HR is able to make a contribution of $1,000 to the institutional endowment or scholarship fund of the award recipient’s choice.

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

Criteria
  • Identification of significant organizational change resulting from HR transformation.
  • Examples of HR leadership demonstrated by the nominee in bringing about this change.
  • Description of the impact of the change on programs and services.
  • Successful development and implementation of a different approach or a variation of a traditional process, procedure, or practice in one of the functional areas of human resources.
  • Successful and innovative partnership role in assisting another academic or an administrative unit in achieving its overall mission.
  • The successful practice has led to improved performance of the college or university, the unit in which the department resides or, the human resource department; and the achievement has advanced the profession and/or promoted better understanding of human resource management.
  • The institution and (if applicable) the specific person are members of CUPA-HR.

Southern Region Emerging CUPA-HR Leader Award

The Southern Region Emerging CUPA-HR Leader will join the 2018-19 Emerging CUPA-HR Leader cohort. The goal of the program is to identify potential leaders from across the country who have shown exemplary leadership and initiative within higher ed HR and exhibit the desire to play an active role in advancing the profession. Invited participants will have the unique opportunity to participate in the annual invitation only Association Leadership Program, to engage in problem-solving work groups and develop deep networks with peers while gaining an inside look at CUPA-HR's operations and structure. Throughout the year-long program, participants are encouraged to serve the association in a leadership capacity, lending a fresh and informed perspective. Program objectives and details can be found here.

Meritorious Service Awards

These awards recognize an individual from each state chapter who has made significant contributions to the profession, their institutions, and/or their CUPA-HR chapters. Chapters submit their nominees to the Board for consideration. If more than one nominee per chapter is submitted, the Board will make a selection based on the information provided.

Southern Region Chapter Excellence Award

This award recognizes a Southern Region chapter that is making a significant impact through its commitment to CUPA-HR and to the higher ed HR community.

The recipient of the region award will be acknowledged during the awards presentation at the appropriate spring conference and will receive two scholarships to attend the conference where the award is presented. Scholarships include conference registration, airfare/transportation and hotel accommodations. The chapter will choose who will attend the spring conference to accept the award. The chapter will also receive a podium banner to display at its meetings/conferences.

The recipient of the regional award will be submitted to the national awards committee for consideration for the national Chapter Excellence Award. The recipient of the national award will be acknowledged at the CUPA-HR annual conference and will receive four annual conference scholarships (to include conference registration, airfare/transportation and hotel accommodations). The chapter will choose who will attend the annual conference to accept the award. The national Chapter Excellence Award recipient will also receive a podium banner to display at its meetings/events, and the chapter’s name will be engraved on a plaque that resides at the CUPA-HR national office.

Eligibility Note: A chapter is ineligible to receive an award more than once every three years.

CRITERIA
  • Documentation of chapter procedures must be supplied with the award nomination.
  • All chapter board positions must be filled at the time of submission and clear procedures should be in place for recruiting new leaders on an annual basis.
  • Chapter must have a demonstrated history of good financial standing with documented business/financial procedures outlining core processes and accountability.
  • Chapter leaders must have promptly responded to national office staff regarding annual reporting requirements.
  • Chapter website should be up to date and regularly updated.
  • Chapter must have met one or more times during the last 12 months and two or more times during the last 24 months.
    • Include in nomination materials the dates, locations and the number of attendees at the chapter meetings/conferences for the past two years.
  • Chapter leaders must have engaged others within the chapter’s geographic area beyond the face-to-face event(s). For example, chapter listserv, discussions prompted by chapter leaders or other such outreach.
  • Chapter’s work must clearly support one or more of CUPA-HR’s strategic priorities and core values.