• Section 1 - Purpose and Context
• Section 2 - Definitions
• Section 3 - Policy Reference
• Section 4 - Procedures
• Section 5 - Guidelines
• Part A - Roles and Responsibilities
• Nominator(s)
• Nominee(s)
• Division of Corporate Strategy and Services
• Award Panels
• Executive Deans, Deputy Vice-Chancellor's, Chief Financial Officer, Heads of School, Directors
• Part B - Preparation of the Submission
• Structure of the Submission
• Part C - Description of each Award Category
• Teaching Award
• Professional Service Award
• University Engagement
• Postgraduate Research Training and Supervision Award
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• Part D - Supporting Evidence
• Part E - Expenditure and Acquittal
• Part F - Timeline
• Part G - Enquiries and Submission of Applications in 2006

Section 1 - Purpose and Context

(1) This document provides guidance and further explanation in relation to the Vice-Chancellor's Excellence Awards in:

1. Excellence in Teaching
2. Excellence in Professional Service
3. Excellence in Postgraduate Research Training and Supervision
4. Excellence in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
5. Excellence in University Engagement

(2) The guidelines should be read in conjunction with the Vice-Chancellor's Excellence Awards Policy.

Section 2 - Definitions

(3) Nil.

Section 3 - Policy Reference

(4) Refer to the Vice-Chancellor's Excellence Awards Policy.

Section 4 - Procedures

(5) Nil.

Section 5 - Guidelines

Part A - Roles and Responsibilities

Nominator(s)

(6) The nominator’s responsibilities are to:

1. ensure that the proposed nominee is willing to accept nomination;
2. work within the nominee in preparation of the submission; and
3. complete the nomination form.

Nominee(s)

(7) The nominee’s responsibilities are to:

1. decide whether to accept nomination;
2. ensure that the nominator is able to complete the nomination form in time to meet the deadline, work with the nominator in preparation of the submission; and
3. ensure in advance that the relevant Executive Dean /Director /Deputy Vice-Chancellor is willing and able to support the nomination, and co-ordinate the process to obtain this signed endorsement of the final session.

(8) Jointly, the nominee and nominator have the responsibility to:

1. seek support and advice in preparing the submission from the nominator and others who are familiar with the nominee’s work and/or with the processes of the award scheme;
2. gather and assemble all parts of the submission; and
3. copy and send the submission to the contact officer by the stated deadline.

(9) For nominees who are teams, one person must be designated as the team leader and this person’s responsibilities are:

1. to ensure all members of the team are willing to be listed as members of the team submission;
2. gather signatures from all listed team members indicating their permission to be included
3. serve as the contact point between DCSS and the team members; and
4. ensure all members of the team are kept informed of progress with the submission.

Division of Corporate Strategy and Services

(10) The Division of Corporate Strategy and Services responsibilities are to:

1. Liaise with Finance Office to establish annual budget and allocation to each award category.
2. Determine whether any themes are recommended for each year.
3. Liaise with the Vice-Chancellor in order to establish Award Panels.
4. Announce call for nominations.
5. Promulgate policy and nomination processes.
6. Receive and process nominations.
7. Forward nominations received to individual Award Panels via the organisational units responsible for secretarial services to each panel.
8. Notify winners and their Executive Dean /Head of School /Director.
9. Liaise with OMAC to publicise outcomes.
10. Manage budget distributions to winners, and receive acquittals.

Award Panels

(11) The Award Panel’s responsibilities are to:

1. Consider nominations and make recommendations.
2. Make further enquiries were necessary, ensuring that enquiries are of a factual nature of the nomination, and not personal enquiries of the nominee, respecting the privacy of the nominee.

(12) Organisational support units (Professional Development Unit, Teaching Development Unit, Office of Research Services, Office of University Engagement and Finance Office ):

1. provide advice to support nominees in preparation of portfolios; and
2. provide secretarial services to Award Panels.

Executive Deans, Deputy Vice-Chancellor's, Chief Financial Officer, Heads of School, Directors

(13) The relevant Executive Dean, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Chief Financial Officer, Head of School, and Director is responsible to:

1. endorse nominations; and
2. approve expenditures against Award budgets ensuring compliance with relevant UWS policies/procedures.

Part B - Preparation of the Submission

(14) Nominees/Nominators are encouraged to begin preparing their submission as early as possible, and to seek feedback from colleagues and/or staff in support units of the University. See contact details at the end of these guidelines.

(15) The submission comprises of one form. The form which is available on the UWS website is a downloadable Word document if you wish to complete the details in an electronic file, and as .pdf files if you would prefer to print the blank form and complete the details by hand.

Structure of the Submission

(16) The submission comprises of a single form and requires two referee reports.

(17) For all categories except for Teaching, the form is three pages: The first page requires details of the nominator, nominee and an endorsement from the nominee's head of school, director or DVC.

(18) The remaining two pages address the selection criteria, which comprises of two questions, one which list the nominee's achievement in the category of nomination, and how the achievement aligns with the University's mission and values. The nomination must conform to the length of the two pages and therefore requires the submission to be succinct and to the point.

(19) Two Referee Reports are also required - These can be in email format, and should endorse and support the outstanding achievements of the nominee.

(20) Additionally supporting evidence can also be attached as appendices - This section can be of any length, however should be current i.e.- with the past three years.

(21) The Teaching Category has the same front page as the other forms, but differs in that there are 5 selection criteria which are the same as the Carrick Institute Awards selection criteria for Teaching. Please provide evidence in support of your claims against these criteria. The Nomination is limited to five A4 pages in total.

Part C - Description of each Award Category

(22) Each category of the Awards are fairly self explanatory, however listed below is some information that may assist nominees to decide which category would be appropriate for their achievements.

Teaching Award

(23) This Award supports the work done by academic staff in providing outstanding learning experiences for students. The criteria used in this category are identical to those of the Teaching category of the Carrick Institute Awards. In most cases, successful candidates in this category will be encouraged to articulate to external Awards.

Professional Service Award

(24) This Award is broad and general and can apply to almost all staff in the University. While both academic and general staff can be nominated in this category, the majority of nominees tend to be general staff, as there are other categories more applicable to academic staff.

(25) Staff who have made significant contribution to the effective operation of university administration, and who can demonstrate a consistently outstanding level of quality operation should consider nomination in this category. Clients of the nominee to whom excellent service has been consistently provided to, can include students, external stakeholders of the university and other staff.

(26) A strong commitment to the University's values especially those of equity will also be favourably viewed.

University Engagement

(27) This category has been renamed to University Engagement (formerly Regional Engagement) to reflect that engagement can occur beyond the local region which the University is located in. This Award celebrates achievement in developing links between the University and other external industry or community organisations, for the purpose of exchanging knowledge, harnessing community expertise, and to contributing to mutually beneficial development. In particular, this Award also supports achievements in encouraging opportunities for the University's students to participate in industry or community programs.

Postgraduate Research Training and Supervision Award

(28) The purpose of this Award is to recognise contributions to higher degree research students candidature through development, leadership and demonstrated outcomes in the arena of postgraduate research training and supervision at the UWS, Regional, National and International levels.

Entrepreneurship and Innovation

(29) This is a new category, and highlights the importance of the University's activities that are innovative and entrepreneurial. It encourages activities and programs that are income generating and those that show innovation to workplace processes and practices that improve efficiency, or improve the student experience and that may also show financial savings as an outcome.

Part D - Supporting Evidence

(30) Documentary evidence is necessary to support nominations. Generally, documentary evidence is required to be current (1-3 years). For all Award categories, the following key and other supporting evidence can be given to support nominations.

(31) Key forms of documentary evidence of positive outcomes:

1. Benchmarking services against external providers of similar services (for example, in other universities).
2. Client satisfaction surveys.
3. Feedback from student cohorts or other recipients of initiatives supporting claims of positive outcomes, gathered from whole cohort or group (rather than selected individual testimonial) through formal surveys, focus groups, interviews, etc.
4. Outcomes of student learning, for example, grades, examiners’ reports, etc.
5. Comparisons of experience, results, etc. between pre-intervention and post-intervention.
6. Improvements in achieving key performance indicators, for example, retention and progression rates of students.
7. Peer review feedback on processes developed or documentary materials produced
8. Evidence of uptake by others of the nominees’ initiatives.
9. Public recognition of excellence, for example prizes and awards received, refereed conference presentations and publications both nationally and internationally, features in broadcast media, and so on.

(32) Other supporting documentary evidence of positive outcomes:

1. Individual testimonials from students, staff, community members, etc.
2. Evidence of targeted mentoring and leadership of others, for example through providing development and networking opportunities to others relevant to the area.
3. Documentary materials produced as part of an initiative.
4. Invitations to disseminate outcomes of initiatives to colleagues within or beyond the initiating individual or team.

(33) Documentary evidence specifically for the Postgraduate Research Supervision and Training Award include:

1. contribution to research higher degree student’s learning through candidacy;
2. outcomes of performance as a supervisor of research including, outstanding examiners reports of student work and completion of students in minimum or near minimum time;
3. public recognition of research student work during candidacy including refereed conference presentations, publications, prizes and awards;
4. leadership and contribution toward the development of a research culture within an academic unit, research centre or group with particular emphasis on inclusion of research higher degree students;
5. contribution to the development of research training and postgraduate supervision processes within the University; and
6. contribution to the development of learning opportunities for higher degree research students with emphasis on innovative approaches to research training and supervision.

Part E - Expenditure and Acquittal

(34) Award recipients have the following options in receiving their prize money:

1. If an individual, the prize money can be received in cash after the appropriate tax has been taken out by Payroll; or
2. For teams or if chosen by the individual winner, the prize money is allocated through the university's general ledger into a project account within the School, or Divisional unit where the team or individual is located.

(35) Award recipients (individuals or team leaders) will manage the account which is established in their name for disbursement of the Award. Expenditure against this account must comply with University policies and procedures, including delegations instruments, and must be reasonable expenditure. Examples of reasonable expenditure of the award include:

1. Further professional development of individuals, for example:
   1. costs (for example travel, accommodation, registration fees) associated with attendance at a conference or other professional gathering
   2. costs of attendance at training and development programs (for example residential organisational development and leadership programs)
   3. attendance at external workshops or seminars not usually conducted by units within the University and that are relevant to the needs of the University.
      1. Contribution towards the purchase of equipment, including texts and electronic equipment useful to the completion of their professional studies.
      2. Costs associated with visits to industrial, professional or educational establishments.
2. Further development of project initiatives acknowledged by the Award, for example:
   1. minor equipment or other materials related to project initiative(s)
   2. funds towards the employment of casual staff to undertake specific project development work

(36) Note: Equipment or other materials purchased from the Award remain the property of the University.

(37) Award funds are normally expected to be spent within one calendar year from receipt of funds. Under certain circumstances, where there is reasonable justification, recipients may formally request in writing for an extension for a specified period in which funds may be spent. Requests should be sent to Eva Ing, Building AD, Penrith Campus or via email e.ing@uws.edu.au.

Part F - Timeline

(38) The normal timeline each year for the VC Excellence Awards scheme is:

Part G - Enquiries and Submission of Applications in 2006

(39) Submissions must be lodged with the Division of Corporate Strategy and Services (Attention of Ms Eva Ing), Building AD, Penrith Campus, by the closing date.

(40) A hard-copy of the original plus 6 hard-copies of the submission must be lodged. However, in order to meet the closing date deadline, applicants may lodge submissions electronically via email, and subsequently forward the original and copies in hard copy versions including signatures.

(41) Refer to the attached Contact Points for Individual Award Categories for further information regarding a particular award.