Established in 2013, the Simcoe Hall Vice-Presidential (SVP) Staff Award recognizes outstanding contributions by staff (Confidential, Unionized, or Professional & Managerial at any level) who work in service of the President’s Office, the Division of the Vice-President & Provost, a Vice-Presidential Division (where the Vice-President is a member of Simcoe Hall Vice-Presidents), or the Office of the Governing Council.
Recipients of the SVP Staff Award demonstrate outstanding leadership advancing the University’s mission and / or exceptional service to enhance the University experience for students, faculty, librarians, and / or staff.
For more details about this award, email thanks@utoronto.ca Other contact methods
The 2022 Recipients of an SVP Staff Award. Back row (left to right): Peter Sverko, Clare Gilderdale, Kate Enros. Front row : Toks Weah, Jodie Glean, Artur Cane, Arlene Clement
Assessment Criteria
The SVP Staff Award assesses an individual’s contributions in one or more of the following areas. The impact of their contribution(s) should be measurable and extend beyond the nominee’s respective Division or Office to the broader University community as applicable. These accomplishments can be recent or demonstrated throughout the nominee’s career.
Significant Contribution
Recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to their Division or the broader University by achieving a milestone accomplishment. Accomplishments could include completing an innovative initiative or undertaking substantial work that involved significant effort and complexity and which set a standard upon which the University can model future endeavours.
Sustained Service of Excellence
Recognizes an individual with exemplary service to the University and who is held in high regard by colleagues and peers in areas core to the University’s values, including excellence, service orientation, citizenship, professionalism, collegiality, integrity, and innovation.
Leads with Equity & Inclusion
Recognizes an individual who consistently demonstrates their commitment to integrating the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion into their leadership activities and who is committed to creating an inclusive culture and a sense of belonging for their teams and the broader University community. Nominees must be highly regarded for sponsoring and advancing EDI initiatives that challenge our systems, disrupt our processes, and create equitable practices within their Division or across the institution.
Inspirational Attitude
Recognizes an individual who possesses an uplifting and encouraging demeanour and contributes to positive team morale. Nominees inspire their peers by example, and their presence on a team invigorates their colleagues to work harder, smarter, and more efficiently to achieve their goals.
Eligibility
Any employee or supervisor can nominate a staff member for an SVP Staff Award. Self-nominations are not accepted.
Staff members are only eligible to receive an SVP Staff Award once in their career.
Nominees must:
- Be administrative staff (Confidential, Unionized, or Professional & Managerial at any level) who currently works in service of the President’s Office, the Division of the Vice-President & Provost, a Vice-Presidential Division (where the Vice-President is a member of Simcoe Hall Vice-Presidents), or the Office of Governing Council
- Be in good standing at the University, and
- Be in active status when the nominations close.
Successful candidates will normally have completed a minimum of three years of service at U of T by the nomination deadline.
The 2023 SVP Awards will consider the nominee’s efforts and accomplishments up until March 31, 2023.
The Nomination Process
Nominations for the 2023 SVP Staff Awards opened on March 7, 2023.
Nominations should describe in detail the specific contribution(s) that an individual has made in relation to one or more of the assessment criteria listed above.
A complete nomination package for the SVP Staff Awards consists of the following:
- A letter of nomination from the lead nominator providing the rationale for nomination and a description of the nominee’s contribution(s),
- Two (2) letters of support from colleagues / peers. Please note:
- A letter of support signed by multiple individuals counts as one (1) letter towards the total.
- If the lead nominator is not the nominee’s manager or supervisor, one supporting letter must be from the nominee’s manager or supervisor (or higher).
- A brief description of your nominee that could be used for publishing online should the nomination be successful, not more than two (2) paragraphs in length.
Letters should not exceed two (2) pages in length each. Nominators should provide examples of the nominee’s demonstrated impact across multiple portfolios in their letters where applicable. Where appropriate, supporting letters from multiple divisions and / or beyond the University of Toronto are encouraged. However, it is recognized that not all roles, by their very nature, will have the ability to have impact across multiple portfolios.
Nominators must submit nominations for the awards via the True Blue Recognition Platform. The Selection Committee will review all submitted nominations and can then ask for further details.
All nomination materials will remain confidential.
Please do not submit more than the required number of documents and supporting letters. The Selection Committee will not consider supplementary documents as part of the nomination package.
Nominators are encouraged to inform their Division Head prior to submitting a nomination.
Submission Guidelines
Nomination Deadline: 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 28, 2023.
Please submit nomination packages electronically through the True Blue Recognition Platform.
A button for the SVP Staff Award will appear when “Nominate” is selected under the “Recognize” header.
Please upload the nomination letter and supporting letters to the form and enter the brief description of your nominee into the appropriate text field.
Should you require assistance with your submission, please contact the Recognition & Engagement Team at thanks@utoronto.ca.
Tips for Completing the Nomination Form
In completing the nomination submission, please:
- Be specific by providing examples and the details of what your nominee has done to meet or exceed the selection criteria.
- Be intentional in how you frame your nomination. Not every nominee will demonstrate achievements in all award criteria. Use your nomination to intentionally identify the criteria where your nominee has made a demonstrable impact and provide evidence to support your nomination.
- Avoid general statements such as: “the nominee has a pleasant personality,” “the nominee is a seasoned professional,” or “the nominee is always helpful” in your submission.
- Include as much qualitative and quantitative information as you can about the nominee’s work and contributions.
- Avoid the use of uncommon or undefined acronyms in the description of your nominee’s work and contributions.
Please see our guide, How to Write an Impactful Award Nomination, for additional details.
Adjudication
The Selection Committee is chaired by the Vice-President, People Strategy, Equity & Culture or their designate. Each Vice-President in Simcoe Hall and the Secretary of Governing Council will be invited to participate on the Selection Committee or select a designate at the CAO (or equivalent) level.
The Selection Committee will meet in Spring 2023 to discuss nomination packages and select the SVP Staff Award recipients.
Award Prizing
Each winning nominee shall receive:
- 1,250 True Blue Points redeemable for prizes on the True Blue Recognition Platform,
- An invitation to the biennial luncheon with the Simcoe Hall Vice-Presidents or their designates and the lead nominators for each winner (the luncheon occurs in even-numbered years), and
- A Simcoe Hall Vice-Presidential Staff Award Framed Certificate at the luncheon.
2023 Recipients
- Michael Henry, Manager, Global Alumni Engagement & Inter-Portfolio Initiatives, Alumni Relations
- Brian Szuberwood, Executive Director, Capital Projects, University Planning, Design & Construction
- Arij Al Chawaf, Executive Director, Strategic Initiatives, Institutional Strategic Initiatives
- Kiren Handa, Executive Director, Institutional Research & Data Governance, Institutional Research & Data Governance
- Yang Ting Shek, Director of Operations, Occupational Health & Safety, Environmental Health & Safety
- Ihab Khalil, Chief Operations Officer, Office of the Vice-President, People Strategy, Equity & Culture
- Anna Kulikov, Senior Manager, Business Improvement & Strategic Initiatives, Facilities & Services
- Jessie Richards, Curriculum Development Specialist, Office of the Vice-President & Provost
- Bridgid McNulty, University Placements Coordinator, Office of the Vice-Provost, Students
- Do Anh Vu, Associate Director, Student Life IT Services, Student Life: Information Technology
- Ryan Dow, Assistant Director, Community Liaison & Support, Campus Safety
Further Information
Please contact the Employee Recognition and Engagement Team if you have questions about the program or need assistance developing or submitting your nomination.