Staff Innovation Award

Purpose

The Penn State Engineering Alumni Society Staff Innovation Award recognizes a staff member who has used creativity appropriately to develop new and/or improved processes, methods, systems, products, or services and encouraged others to do the same.

Award

The name of the award is the “PSEAS Staff Innovation Award.” A single award is presented annually. Each recipient receives $500 and a memento. Funding is made possible through annual gifts from engineering alumni and friends.

Eligibility

All full-time staff members who have worked for the College of Engineering for at least two years are eligible to receive this award.

Qualifications

Recipient has used creativity appropriately in their work to develop new and/or improved processes, methods, systems, products, or services and has encouraged others to do the same. Recipient makes innovation a priority among team members and encourages reasonable and calculated risk taking to achieve unit goals.

Nominations

Nominations may be initiated by Engineering staff, students, faculty, and administrators. Each nomination must be submitted to the head of the candidate’s academic or other unit for review prior to submission to the Dean’s Office. Each unit may nominate only one employee for this award. Each nomination should consist of:

  • a completed nomination form which includes specific examples detailing how the nominee embodies the spirit of the award;
  • a one-page letter of nomination from the initiator;
  • a maximum of three letters of support from College personnel, University personnel, students, alumni, and/or friends of the College;
  • each support letter will be one page in length and will have one signature.

Selection

A committee appointed by the Dean of Engineering will make selection. The committee will consist of PSEAS representatives, recent past award recipient, a member of the Staff Advisory Committee, Associate Dean for Innovation, and the Director of Alumni Relations.

Frequency

Past recipients are ineligible for a period of five years.