Deadline

Final nominations must be submitted online to the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost by February 10 (or the next business day). Review college deadlines.

Awards Available:

Professional and Scientific Outstanding New Professional Award

Purpose: The Professional and Scientific Outstanding New Professional Award recognizes and honors professional and scientific staff members who have been employed by Iowa State University for less than five years and who have achieved excellence in their respective fields.

Eligibility: The Professional & Scientific (P&S) Outstanding New Professional Award is open to all current professional and scientific employees who have been in the P&S system for five (5) years or fewer as of the nomination deadline. Recipients must be Iowa State employees at the time of the University Awards Ceremony.

Nature of the award: The award is a $2,500 one (1)-time stipend from the Iowa State University Foundation

Number of awards: Varies

Criteria:

  • Has demonstrated innovative, creative, or original ways in accomplishing job responsibilities
  • Has established a pattern of reliability and responsibility in performing job duties
  • Has made an effort toward continual personal and professional development
  • Has exhibited service to Iowa State University and/or community
  • Fosters a spirit of cooperation and has strong interpersonal relationships with fellow employees
  • Exhibits potential for future contributions to Iowa State University and/or community

Guidelines: 

Submit three (3) letters of endorsement; one (1) letter must be from a supervisor of the nominee and one (1) of the three (3) letters needs to be considered a nomination letter. Also, submit the nominee's resume or vita. In addition, include a paragraph about the nominee to be used in the convocation program. Since the criteria above are used when reviewing the nominations, it is important to attach supportive information (if applicable) and to include dates when possible. Letters should cite examples of the nominee's contribution in each of the areas listed in the criteria section.

In a 100-word summary of the award nomination include specific accomplishments to support why the nominee should receive a specific award and any summary statements from supporting documents that address award qualifications. The Professional and Scientific Outstanding New Professional Award(s) will be presented at the University Awards Ceremony.

Nominations for P&S Awards may be submitted by an individual, employing unit, or college. If an individual would like to submit a nomination, please email the complete nomination document in a single PDF to award-ps-onp@iastate.edu. The nominations will be housed in a confidential file and the nominator will receive notification of successful submission within 10-15 minutes.

Professional and Scientific Research Award

Purpose: To recognize professional and scientific staff members for excellence in research

Eligibility: Professional and scientific staff members who have conducted research at Iowa State as a P&S employee for at least three (3) years as of January 1 of the year in which the award is to be given. Recipients must be Iowa State employees at the time of the University Awards Ceremony.

Nature of the award: $2,500 one (1)-time stipend

Number of awards: One (1)

Criteria: Documented evidence of notable independent research accomplishments as evaluated by supervisors and/or experts in the nominee's field. Evidence of the impact of the contributions on the nominee's discipline. Evidence of external recognition independent of that of any mentor or supervisor. The candidates will be judged by the body of their work while P&S employees at Iowa State.

Guidelines: 

The following guidelines are intended to help units make their nominations as strong as possible.

  1. Key components to a good nomination packet for this award are: 1) a synthesis of the nominee's research accomplishments and 2) evidence of contributions independent of those attributable to any mentor or supervisor. Begin with a statement of no more than three (3) pages describing why this person deserves the award for which they are being nominated. The purpose of this statement is to persuade those reviewing the nomination that your candidate deserves the award. Cite specific examples of relevant accomplishments, publications, and recognition whenever possible. Focus on the impact of the nominee's research activities. Be sure to document the level of independence of the nominee's contributions from those of any supervisor or mentor.
  2. Include the nominee's current curriculum vita not to exceed twenty-five (25) pages. If the nominee has supervised students, it may be appropriate here to include a list of former students with information about their current employment or other research activities.
  3. Include statements from supervisors or mentors who are in a position to comment on the nominee's research. Two (2) or three (3) such statements are sufficient.
  4. Include letters from experts in the nominee's field at Iowa State and/or at other institutions who are knowledgeable about the nominee's work and its impact on the discipline. No more than three (3) such letters are normally sufficient. Be sure to provide a short paragraph summarizing the qualifications of any external references.
  5. The nominating letter should address the norms for the numbers and types of publications and level of research independence expected for persons in the nominee's position and discipline. Please discuss the quality of the journals in which the nominee has published and include a list of the two (2) to three (3) most prestigious journals or publication venues in their field.
  6. Discuss and document the nominee's success in grantsmanship (sources and amounts), if any, and to discuss the norms for grantsmanship among persons in similar positions in the nominee's field.

In a 100-word summary of the award nomination include specific accomplishments to support why the nominee should receive a specific award and any summary statements from supporting documents that address award qualifications. The Professional and Scientific Research Award will be presented at the University Awards Ceremony.

Nominations for P&S Awards may be submitted by an individual, employing unit, or college. If an individual would like to submit a nomination, please email the complete nomination document in a single PDF to award-ps-ra@iastate.edu. The nominations will be housed in a confidential file and the nominator will receive notification of successful submission within 10-15 minutes.

Selection process: Nominations are reviewed by a committee of faculty and P&S staff organized by the Office of the Vice President for Research. At least one (1) P&S representative is named by the P&S Council. Award recipients and their nominator, department chair/school director, dean, or supervisor are notified by May 1. Colleges receive feedback on unsuccessful nominations by July 1.

Professional and Scientific Excellence Award

Purpose: The Professional and Scientific Excellence Award recognizes and honors professional and scientific staff members who have been employed by Iowa State University for more than five (5) years and who have achieved excellence in their respective fields.

Eligibility: Employed by Iowa State University for more than five (5) years and achieved excellence in their respective field. Recipients must be Iowa State employees at the time of the University Awards Ceremony.

Nature of the award: $2,500 award presented annually with grants from the Iowa State University Foundation

Number of awards: Three (3)

Criteria:

  • Professional contributions/service within the university (to the university, department/school or unit, other departments/schools or units, and the P&S system)
  • Professional organizations and positions held
  • Evidence of career progress (promotions and educational advancements)
  • Professional recognitions/contributions beyond the university (community, state, regional, national, international, committees, publications, and recognitions)
  • List of publications, papers, and patents (including prepared reports, press releases, articles, and presentations)

Guidelines: Submit three (3) letters of endorsement; one (1) letter must be from a supervisor of the nominee and one (1) of the three (3) letters needs to be considered a nomination letter. Also, submit the nominee's resume or vita. Since the criteria above are used when reviewing the nominations, it is important to attach supportive information (if applicable) and to include dates when possible. Letters should cite examples of the nominee's contribution in each of the areas listed in the criteria section.

In a 100-word summary of the award nomination include specific accomplishments to support why the nominee should receive a specific award and any summary statements from supporting documents that address award qualifications. The Professional and Scientific Excellence Award will be presented at the University Awards Ceremony.

Nominations for P&S Awards may be submitted by an individual, employing unit, or college. If an individual would like to submit a nomination, please email the complete nomination document in a single PDF to award-ps-ea@iastate.edu. The nominations will be housed in a confidential file and the nominator will receive notification of successful submission within 10-15 minutes.

Carroll Ringgenberg Award

Purpose: The Carroll Ringgenberg Award, funded from an endowment established in 1995 to honor a long term professional and scientific staff member who was instrumental in the development of facilities planning and space utilization on campus, recognizes extraordinary professional and scientific staff members exhibiting constant and contagious dedication to and goodwill for Iowa State University.

Eligibility: Staff members must have a minimum of ten (10) years of service at Iowa State University to be eligible. Recipients must be Iowa State employees at the time of the University Awards Ceremony.

Nature of the award: $2,500 award

Number of awards: One (1)

Criteria:

  • Extraordinary dedication to the Iowa State University community
  • A spirit of goodwill for Iowa State University
  • A history of excellence in the service to others at Iowa State University

Guidelines:  

Submit three (3) letters of endorsement; one (1) letter must be from a supervisor of the nominee and one (1) of the three (3) letters needs to be considered a nomination letter. Also, submit the nominee's resume or vita. Since the above criteria are used when reviewing the nominations, it is important to attach supportive information (if applicable) and to include dates when possible. Letters should cite examples of the nominee's contribution in each of the areas listed in the criteria section.

In a 100-word summary of the award nomination include specific accomplishments to support why the nominee should receive a specific award and any summary statements from supporting documents that address award qualifications. The Carroll Ringgenberg Award will be presented at the University Award Ceremony.

Nominations for P&S Awards may be submitted by an individual, employing unit, or college. If an individual would like to submit a nomination, please email the complete nomination document in a single PDF to award-cr@iastate.edu. The nominations will be housed in a confidential file and the nominator will receive notification of successful submission within 10-15 minutes.

Regents Award for Staff Excellence

Purpose: The Regents Award for Staff Excellence was established in 1993 by the Iowa Board of Regents in cooperation with the three Regents universities. Deans, directors, department chairs/school directors, faculty, or staff are encouraged to nominate outstanding Professional & Scientific (P&S) or merit staff members.

Eligibility: To be eligible the nominee must have been a professional and scientific or merit employee at Iowa State University for a minimum of five (5) years. Recipients must be Iowa State employees at the time of the University Awards Ceremony.

Nature of the award: A $2,500 one (1)-time stipend will be given to each recipient

Number of awards: Iowa State University will select up to four (4) P&S staff members and up to one (1) merit staff member each year for this award

Criteria:

  • Describe the nominee as an outstanding university citizen
  • Professional contributions/service (to the university, department/school or unit, other departments/schools or units, students, community, and the state)
  • Professional recognition/contributions, positions held beyond the university (regional, national, and international)
  • List of publications (including prepared reports, press releases, articles, and presentations), papers, and/or patents
  • Evidence of career progress (promotion and educational advancements)
  • Nominee's resume or vita

Guidelines:  

Submit three (3) letters of endorsement, including a letter of comment from a supervisor. The nominations will be reviewed based on the above criteria, therefore it is important to attach supportive information in the areas listed above (if applicable) and to include dates when possible.

Nominations for P&S and Merit Staff Awards may be submitted by an individual, employing unit, or college. If an individual would like to submit a nomination, please email the complete nomination document in a single PDF to award-regents-se@iastate.edu. The nominations will be housed in a confidential file and the nominator will receive notification of successful submission within 10-15 minutes. 

Selection process: The P&S Awards Committee will select the semifinalists and forward these to the President's Office where the final selections will be made. In the case that merit employees are nominated, the nomination review committee will add a merit staff member to participate in the review of those nominations. Award recipients and their nominator, department chair/school director, dean, or supervisor are notified by May 1. Colleges receive feedback on unsuccessful nominations by July 1. Recipients will be recognized at the University Awards Ceremony.

General Guidelines for Professional and Scientific Nominations

  • Format and electronic submission instructions
  • Staff university award nomination cover page [PDF | DOC]
  • When the file is prepared, nominators must submit their nominations to their college by the college deadline. When the college is ready to submit their nominations, the college awards coordinator must upload the nominations to the appropriate college folder on CyBox. If you do not have access to your college's folder on CyBox, please contact Kirsten Abel, kabel@iastate.edu.
  • If an individual would like to submit a nomination, please email the complete nomination document in a single PDF to the appropriate email address (identified in individual award guidelines). The nominations will be housed in a confidential file and the nominator will receive notification of successful submission within 10-15 minutes.

For questions or more information about award eligibility, contact:

For questions or more information about award submission, contact:

Professional & Scientific Council awards committee