Richard Kneedler Distinguished Service Award
for members of the professional staff
Purpose
The Richard Kneedler Distinguished Service Award is given each year to one member of the professional staff, in recognition of his or her outstanding contributions and demonstrated commitment to the mission of the College.
During his long association with Franklin & Marshall, Richard Kneedler exemplified what it means to be a true citizen of the College. Many others have been inspired by Richard Kneedler's example. Through this award, the College will recognize one professional staff member each year for his or her contributions and service to the College.
Criteria
Via the Richard Kneedler Distinguished Service Award, the College will recognize a member of the professional staff who consistently goes "above and beyond" normal performance expectations, and who has earned the respect of students and colleagues. The recipient of this award will have demonstrated his/her commitment to the mission of the College:
(b) by consistently providing outstanding service and/or leadership to students, faculty, professional staff, or alumni in support of the College's strategies.
Mission Statement: Franklin & Marshall is a residential college dedicated to excellence in undergraduate liberal education. Its aims are to inspire in young people of high promise and diverse backgrounds a genuine and enduring love for learning, to teach them to read, write, and think critically, to instill in them the capacity for both independent and collaborative action, and to educate them to explore and understand the natural, social and cultural worlds in which they live. In so doing, the College seeks to foster in its students qualities of intellect, creativity, and character, that they may live fulfilling lives and contribute meaningfully to their occupations, their communities, and their world.
Eligibility
Franklin & Marshall professional staff members are eligible to be nominated for the Richard Kneedler Distinguished Service Award. To be considered, a nominee must have been employed by the College for at least one year at the time the nomination is made, and must be currently employed at the College. Senior Officers of the College are not eligible for this award.
A professional staff member selected for this award based on item (b) above will be eligible to receive this award once during his/her employment at the College for this reason.
Award
A plaque with the name of the award recipient will be placed in a prominent location on campus. The recipient will receive a $2,500 cash award in recognition of his/her distinguished service to the College.
Nomination Process
Each year, the College will request nominations for the Richard Kneedler Distinguished Service Award. Any member of the College community may nominate a member of the professional staff for this award. Nominees must meet the eligibility and award criteria described above. Nominations must be in writing, on the form provided for this purpose (Richard Kneedler Distinguished Service Award Nomination Form; this form is also available through eDisk - 'groups', 'Human Resources', 'public' folder). Nominations must be submitted to Human Resources by March 19. Late nominations cannot be accepted.
Review Process
A committee of five professional staff members will review nominations and forward the list of nominations to the Senior Officers for their review. The Director, Human Resources will serve as an ex officio member of this committee. The committee will gather additional information as necessary to thoroughly evaluate each nomination. Such evaluation may include discussion with the nominee's manager and colleagues. The committee will recommend an award recipient based on the criteria listed above. The committee's final recommendation will be submitted to the Senior Officers of the College.
If a member of the committee is nominated for this award, that person will be excused from the selection process for that year.
The Richard Kneedler Distinguished Service Award recipient will be announced each spring during Commencement.
