University Awards

Staff Awards

Staff Awards

Instituted in 1988, the Staff Performance Awards Program was revised in 2004 and again in 2007 to better promote and reward outstanding performance by staff at the university.

About Staff Awards

These awards will be presented on Tuesday, May 21 as part of Staff Appreciation Week.

Instituted in 1988, the Staff Performance Awards Program was revised in 2004 and again in 2007 to better promote and reward outstanding performance by staff at the university. These awards will be presented on Tuesday, May 21 as part of Staff Appreciation Week. Read below to learn the details of each award.


Eligibility and Awards

Only full-time staff members can be nominated for the awards described below.

There are five awards:

All awards can be given to an individual, a group, or a team.

Nomination Process

Nominations may come from supervisors, subordinates, peers, faculty, and students. The Staff Performance Awards Program Project Team, a cross-functional team appointed by the president, provost, and vice presidents, reviews nominations and selects winners. An award may not be given in all categories if the nominations do not provide sufficient justification of meritorious performance.


To nominate a staff member, you can go through the AU portal (myAU.american.edu). Once you log into the portal, click on Work@AU on the right hand side menu. Once clicked, your personalized links should show a link entitled HR: Staff Awards Nomination. Click on it to begin to fill out the nomination form.

Nomination Deadline

All nominations must be received by March 1, 2013.

Learn More About Staff Awards


All award winners will receive:

  • an award certificate
  • an invitation to a years of service and staff performance awards luncheon
  • a day off from work
  • a $750 monetary award, not to exceed $5,000 in the case of a group award. (The monetary awards are considered taxable compensation to the receipient in accordance with the IRS code.)
  • a photograph with the President and their division vice president