This award honors employees for outstanding contributions to 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ and its mission to be a top tier university. While everyone associated with 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ works toward fulfilling our mission, the efforts of some present an outstanding example of commitment. The Top Tier Award recognizes such dedicated members of our campus community.

An award of $1000 will be presented to at least one employee who best reflects accomplishments in the Top Tier core areas:

  • Student Achievement
  • Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity
  • Socio-Economic Development
  • 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Academic Health
  • Community Partnerships
  • Social Justice, Equity, and Inclusion
  • Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement
  • Infrastructure and Shared Governance

Additional information about the Top Tier plan, including detailed metrics and measures, can be found on the 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Top Tier 2.0 website.

Eligibility

Nominees must be full-time academic faculty, administrative faculty, or classified staff members of 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ who have completed at least one year of service at the university and have a satisfactory evaluation for the most recent academic year. Board members, regents, vice provosts/presidents, college/school deans, department chairs/academic directors, contract employees, students, and volunteers are not eligible.

Previous winners of this award are eligible for re-nomination after five years.

Submission Details

Electronic Form

Nominations must be submitted through an electronic nomination form. All required materials must be combined into a single PDF file for upload into the online form.

File Name

The nomination packet submitted through the online form must use the following file name convention:

LastName_FirstName_TopTierAward.pdf (e.g., Doe_Jane_TopTierAward.pdf).

Required Materials

Nomination packets must include the following elements:

  1. A cover sheet with the nominee’s full name, job title, department/unit, college/school, and email address 
  2. A table of contents that lists items 3 through 6 below
  3. A letter of nomination (two pages maximum) from a campus leader involved with the Top Tier Initiative that describes how the nominee has contributed to one of the Initiative’s five core areas
  4. A letter of support (two pages maximum) from someone in the nominee’s organization that describes how the nominee models the Top Tier spirit in that unit
  5. A narrative statement (three pages maximum) from the nominee describing data/metrics/outcomes, projects/programs, and/or personal experiences that demonstrate how the nominee has supported the Top Tier Initiative (the statement should be specific and reference the Top Tier plan)
  6. A copy of the nominee’s curriculum vitae or resume  

Note:  No additional letters of support submitted beyond the required materials will be considered by the committee.

Criteria Considered by Selection Committee

The selection committee will look for evidence of the following:

  1. Support of at least one of the five focal areas identified in the Top Tier plan
  2. Contribution to the advancement of 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ through personal commitment of time and energy
  3. Perception of the nominee by others as a leader who models the values of the University

For any questions about the application process for this award, please contact facultyaffairs@unlv.edu.