2004 Quality Service, Quality People Award Winner

Deb Blythe

Deb was unsure of what exactly to attribute her success to, she just knows that "I love higher education. I love Penn State. I just try to get up every morning and give it my best shot."

Congratulations, Deb!

Your family, OPP, F&B and Penn State are proud of you.

The Quality Service, Quality People Award has been developed to recognize Finance and Business individuals or teams at any Penn State location, who have exhibited exemplary work performance.

Nominations may come from within Finance & Business or any external source.

Purpose:

The purpose of this endowment shall be to encourage the establishment of an Employee Reward and Recognition Program throughout Finance and Business at The Pennsylvania State University by providing monies for awards, recognition events and other opportunities to mark exemplary work performance and employee achievement. This award is intended to serve as an overall Finance and Business award and is not to be specific to any one unit.

* Finance and Business includes the following work units at all Penn State locations: Airport, Bryce Jordan Center, Business Services, Corporate Controllers Office, Office of Human Resources, Physical Plant, University Budget Office, Police Services, Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Office, Hospitality Services, Housing Services, Food Services, The Hershey Medical Center Finance and Business Office, Office of Investment Management.

Nomination Process:

Co-workers, individuals or management staff may nominate a team or individual. Nominations may come from within Finance & Business or any external source. Employees may not nominate themselves for this award. Nomination forms are to be submitted to the screening committee during July and August. A communication from the chair of the screening committee will be sent to each unit within Finance and Business to elicit nominations at all Penn State locations. At least one nomination form must be submitted for the nominee and in addition, co-nominators or the nominator may submit letters of support. Nominations should illustrate and define the individual’s or team’s exemplary work performance and achievement in regard to (but not limited to) the criteria detailed in this award.

Screening Committee and Selection Process:

The screening committee may be comprised of Finance and Business staff, as well as the previous year’s award recipient or team member from a group award and will serve on a rolling-year basis. Nominators would not be eligible to serve on the screening committee. Members will have different lengths of terms to ensure continuity from one year to the next. The Associate Vice President for Human Resources will assign the committee and the committee chair will coordinate the process, and will forward the recommendation to the Senior Vice President for Finance and Business.

Criteria:

The employee’s and/or team’s work performance or achievement should be illustrated in one or more of the criteria below. Selection of potential award recipients will not be based on the number of criteria achieved, but on the quality of the performance and achievement.

• Exceeds organizational expectations
• Exhibits exemplary work efforts
• Exhibits exemplary integrity and ethics
• Is independently motivate to pursue skills that contribute to the evolving mission of the organization
• Individual’s team participation and involvement enhances team outcomes
• Regularly exceeds customer expectations (either internal or external customers)
• Exhibits leadership on a consistent basis
• Attendance denotes reliability, as well as dedication and loyalty to the organization
• Demonstrates proficiency in performing multiple levels of responsibility
• Contribution to, or development of, a process or process improvement resulting in improved effectiveness and efficiency, savings and/or cost avoidance or enhanced customer service

Eligibility:

• All employees, teams and/or work groups within Finance and Business are eligible. A team may be a formal team as well as an office, group, division, etc. Wage employees are eligible. Student employees are not eligible.
• Retirees who have worked within the fiscal year are eligible.
• Work units and/or an employee should not receive more than one Finance and Business Quality Service, Quality People award in a given fiscal year. Individuals who have received other University awards may still be nominated.
• Individuals on teams or teams comprised of the same persons may be determined eligible by the committee. An individual who is recognized more than once in the same year through individual and/or team contribution, would not receive a monetary award for both awards.

Award:

• Award(s) will be issued in September, beginning September 2002.
• During the first five years, award(s) would not exceed $200 in order to provide endowment growth. The amount available to be awarded yearly would determine the number of awards possible for the year. The approximate amount of the award will be announced with the call for nominations.
• A recognition letter would be sent from the Senior Vice President for Finance and Business to all nominees.
• A recognition event with the Senior Vice President and/or other sponsors of the endowment would be held for the award recipients.
• A perpetual plaque listing award recipients would be placed in a prominent areas on campus.

Nomination Guidelines:

Please submit the form below supporting your nomination of this individual or team for the Quality Service, Quality People Award. Your nomination should not exceed two pages, double-spaced, and may include up to five attachments (from peers, subordinates, superiors) to support the nomination. Support documents should also be limited to two pages.

Nominations and support documents should describe how the individual’s or group’s contributions to Finance and Business demonstrates one or more of the criteria above. Please use specific examples to demonstrate how the nominee meets or exceeds the criteria. Highlight accomplishments that demonstrate commitment to the criteria. The committee will consider individuals or teams that demonstrate contributions beyond the job requirements in regard to the criteria or further information that you may supply.

The deadline for nominations is August 31st. Awards will be announced in September and individuals or teams recognized will receive a stipend, a recognition event and a plaque will be placed in a prominent location, inscribed with the award recipient’s names.