Skip to main content
College of Veterinary Medicine

PVM Outstanding Staff Award

In December of 1984, Dr. Carl Osborne (a distinguished alumnus of this College) and his wife gave a sum of money to the College for the purpose of recognizing excellence of endeavors of employees of the College who are not faculty members. The Osbornes’ intent was that the income from investment of the gift be used to support an award. A planning committee was appointed by the Office of the Dean to develop a strategy for carrying out the Osbornes’ wishes. Its recommendation was that a non-faculty staff member be identified and publicly recognized annually for performance of excellence by a suitable award mechanism. The Administrative Group of the College, after considering these recommendations in detail, accepts them and recommends the establishment of the Outstanding Staff Award in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Nominations

Nominations are due 03/01/2024.

Nomination Packet

Eligibility

  1. All non-faculty permanent employees not primarily engaged in research-related activities of the PVM and directly associated units (including but not limited to the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, the PVM Research Animal Facility, the PVM Business Office, and the Veterinary Medical Library).
  2. Recipients of the award shall be ineligible for reconsideration during the following five years.

Criteria for Selection

  1. Any number of eligible staff members may be nominated to the selection committee.
  2. There shall be no more than two awards per year. One award will be limited to nominees from the Purdue Veterinary Hospital and Veterinary Clinical Sciences Department. The other award will be limited to nominees from the Basic Medical Sciences Department, Veterinary Administration Department, Comparative Pathobiology Department, Center for Paralysis Research, the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, and the Veterinary Medical Library.
  3. Criteria for selection are the judged performances and contribution in one or more of the following:
    1. A. Excellence in service to the students, staff, faculty, and other constituencies of the College.
    2. Excellence in enhancing the image of the College with its public.
    3. Excellence in public and professional services and relations.
    4. Exceptional performance of assigned duties above and beyond that ordinarily expected of the position.

Procedures

  1. A nomination form will be developed and distributed to the faculty and staff of the PVM by the Dean’s Office in the spring semester.
  2. Nominations with attendant documentation will be due in the Office of the Dean by a date specified on the nomination form. Documentation is extremely important. The nomination document should include the nomination form and letters of support (maximum of four). If applicable, letters from students or from external constituents (such as clients or individuals from other offices on- or off-campus with whom the nominee has contact) should be included along with letters from individuals within the PVM.

    The nomination letter should include detailed information about the nominee’s outstanding performance and accomplishments in the specific category(ies) for which they are being nominated and their service to the college. The nominee’s years of service and impact over time should also be included in the letter.

    Additional letters of support should be formal letters of recommendation addressing the specific category for which the individual is being nominated. The letter needs to be signed and should fully detail their interaction with the nominee and the reason for supporting the nomination. Please see Appendix A for support letters that are well written with detailed information. The Dean’s Office can review the nomination before it is submitted to ensure it meets the requirements for a strong nomination.
  3. All nomination materials will be duplicated and distributed to the selection committee following the due date in the Office of the Dean.
  4. The selection committee shall consist of one member of the PVM administration, one member of the PVM faculty, two members of non-faculty staff of PVM, and one DVM or veterinary nursing student. The Office of the Dean will appoint replacements to the committee for a two-year term (both one- and two-year appointments the first year will ensure continuity of part of the committee) and designate the chairperson.
  5. The selection committee will consider all nominations received and will act in time to have the necessary material prepared for presentation at a suitable occasion.
  6. In case there are no nominations, or if in the opinion of the selection committee, only one or none of those nominated qualify, only one or no awards will be made that year.

The Award

  1. The award(s) will be made during a special ceremony.
  2. The award(s) shall consist of:
    1. An individual plaque presented to the awardees.
    2. A check for $1,000.00.
    3. The recipients’ names will be placed on an engraved master plaque, which shall hang in a conspicuous place in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Past Recipients

From the Veterinary Hospital and Veterinary Clinical Sciences Departments:

  • Jolene Knuth (2023)
  • Tami Lind (2021)
  • Megan Brashear (2020)
  • Theresa Jeffrey (2019)
  • Amy Huffman (2018)
  • Amy Huffman, RVT, Jessica Roller, Jeannine Henry, RVT and Theresa Jeffrey (2019)

From the departments of Basic Medical Sciences, Veterinary Administration, and Comparative Pathobiology:

  • Janet Rivers (2022)
  • Dr. Craig Bowen (2021)
  • Alyx Guadarrama (2020)
  • Jeannine Henry (2019)
  • Jessica Roller (2018)
  • Dennis Barnett (2017)
  • Dr. Kauline Cipriani (2017)