• Section 1 - Purpose and Context
• Section 2 - Definitions
• Section 3 - Policy Statement
• Section 4 - Procedures
• Section 5 - Guidelines
• Part A - Roles and Responsibilities
• Nominator(s)
• Nominee(s)
• Nominations for Excellence in Postgraduate Research Training and Supervision
• Division of Corporate Strategy and Services
• Award Panels
• Executive Deans, Deputy Vice-Chancellor's, Pro Vice-Chancellor's, Heads of School, Directors
• Part B - Preparation 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
• Excellence in University Sustainability
• Part D - Supporting Evidence
• Part E - Expenditure and Acquittal
• Part F - Enquiries and Submission of Applications

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
6. Excellence in University Sustainability

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

Section 2 - Definitions

(3) Nil.

Section 3 - Policy Statement

(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. complete the nomination form;
3. ensure in advance that the relevant Executive Dean /Director /Deputy Vice-Chancellor /Pro Vice-Chancellor / Head of School is willing and able to support the nomination, and co-ordinate the process to obtain this signed endorsement of the final session;
4. if required, seek support and advice in preparing the submission from the nominee and others who are familiar with the nominees work and/or with the processes of the award scheme;
5. gather and assemble all parts of the submission; and
6. copy and send the submission to the contact officer by the stated deadline.

Nominee(s)

(7) The nominee's responsibilities are to:

1. decide whether to accept nomination; and
2. if required, provide information to the nominator in the preparation of the submission.

(8) 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 the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Corporate Strategy and Services and the team members; and
4. ensure all members of the team are kept informed of progress with the submission.

Nominations for Excellence in Postgraduate Research Training and Supervision

(9) In regards to the category Excellence in Postgraduate Research Training and Supervision the following applies:

1. Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) (PVC(R)) to make call for Nominations to Heads of Schools and Centre Directors, with a copy to Executive Deans and Associate Deans (Research), asking them to forward their nominations to the Associate Deans (Research).
2. Once received the Associate Deans (Research) will be required to request the quantitative data from Office of Research Services advising the date the data required to enable the initial nominees and their quantitative date to be considered by the Associate Deans Research in consultation with the Executive Deans. Data required will be a check that the nominee is qualified on the Graduate Supervisor Register and their Research Activity Status which can be checked on the web by Associate Deans (Research) Office. Data to be provided by Office of Research Services, Research Income, Research Publication Points and HDR Completions and Non Completions for the last five years.
3. Associate Deans Research will review the data in conjunction with the Executive Dean to decide on a shortlist of applicants. Following the meeting the Associate Deans (Research) are to contact the short-listed applicants to see if they will accept the nomination.
4. If nominees accept the nomination they will be required to prepare the standard nomination form with a maximum of 500 words in total in the two comment areas of the form. They will be required to submit their nomination together with supporting documentation by the main awards deadline.

Division of Corporate Strategy and Services

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

1. liaise with the 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 or Deputy Vice-Chancellor Corporate Strategy and Services 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 Award Panels via the relevant Award Panel secretary;
8. notify winners and their Executive Dean /Head of School /Director /Pro Vice-Chancellor;
9. liaise with Office of Engagement to publicise outcomes; and
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; and
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.

Executive Deans, Deputy Vice-Chancellor's, Pro Vice-Chancellor's, Heads of School, Directors

(12) The relevant Executive Dean, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Pro Vice-Chancellor, 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

(13) Nominators are encouraged to begin preparing the submission as early as possible, and to seek feedback from colleagues and/or staff in support units of the University.

Part C - Description of each Award Category

(14) Each category of the Awards are self explanatory, however listed below is some information that may assist nominees and nominators to decide which category would be appropriate.

Teaching Award

(15) 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 Australian Learning and Teaching Council (previously Carrick Institute). In most cases, successful candidates in this category will be encouraged to articulate to external Awards.

Professional Service Award

(16) 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.

(17) 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.

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

University Engagement

(19) 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

(20) 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

(21) This category 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.

Excellence in University Sustainability

(22) This Award is designed to further develop and celebrate the University's sustainability capacity. It highlights staff and student activities that have improved the University's environmental credentials (such as, but not limited to, water and energy efficiency, biodiversity conservation, waste reduction, social corporate responsibilities and reporting) and that may also show financial savings as an outcome.

Part D - Supporting Evidence

(23) 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.

(24) 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.

(25) 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.

(26) 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, University Research Centre or University Research 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

(27) 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
3. Donation to registered charity
4. Contribution to superannuation

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

(29) 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 the Administrative Coordinator, Executive Projects Office, who will seek approval from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Corporate Strategy and Servicess.

Part F - Enquiries and Submission of Applications

(30) Submissions must be lodged with the Administrative Coordinator, Executive Projects Office, Division of Corporate Strategy and Services Building AJ, Penrith Campus, by the closing date.

(31) 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.

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