UITS Awards for Excellence

The Team Award for Excellence recognizes a functional (Manager-level) or project team whose collective efforts have delivered exceptional results beyond their normal responsibilities. The Department Award for Excellence recognizes a Director-level department for sustained excellence, organizational impact and contributions to the success of UITS and the University of Arizona.

A strong nomination clearly explains what the nominee accomplished, how they distinguished themselves in carrying out their work, and the results and broader impact of their contributions. The strongest nominations use specific examples to demonstrate how the nominee exceeded normal expectations and created meaningful value for UITS and the University of Arizona.

Questions about nominations, eligibility or the awards process may be directed to cio-comm-mar@arizona.edu.

Any University of Arizona employee with at least one year of service may submit a nomination for an eligible UITS individual, team or department.

Yes. Self-nominations are permitted, provided all nomination requirements, including the required letters of recommendation, are met.

There is no minimum service requirement for nominees for the Individual, Team or Department.

No. There is no specific minimum number of years of service required for the Lifetime Achievement Award. Nominations should instead demonstrate the sustained contributions, accomplishments and impact expected for this award category.

Yes. A cross-functional team may include employees outside UITS; however, the nomination should recognize work in which UITS employees played a significant role.

Eligibility is determined based on the nominee’s status at the time the nomination is submitted. If an eligible nominee leaves UITS after being nominated, the nomination will remain eligible for consideration, and the nominee may still receive the award if selected.

Yes. You may submit multiple nominations. A separate nomination form must be completed for each individual, team or department you nominate.

Two letters of recommendation are required for a complete nomination. One letter must come from the nominee’s department head or direct supervisor. The second may come from a colleague, customer, campus partner or other individual familiar with the nominee’s accomplishments and contributions.

Yes. The second letter of recommendation may come from someone outside UITS, provided the individual is familiar with the nominee’s accomplishments and can speak meaningfully to their contributions and impact.

Yes. The nomination form will save your progress, allowing you to return later to complete and submit your nomination before the deadline.

If you selected the wrong award category, complete the current form and select Submit. Then contact cio-comm-mar@arizona.edu and ask them to disregard the incorrect submission. You may then begin a new nomination form and select the correct award category.

No. Once a nomination has been submitted, it cannot be edited. If you discover a significant error or need to make an important change, contact cio-comm-mar@arizona.edu for assistance.

All required nomination materials must be submitted by the deadline. Incomplete nominations will not move forward for consideration.

Nomination materials and letters of recommendation will be provided to award winners.

Nominations will be evaluated after the nomination period closes. An Awards Review Committee, with members representing each executive leadership unit within UITS, will review eligible nominations using the established criteria for each award category. The committee will consider the information provided in each nomination to support a consistent and equitable review process.

The Awards Review Committee may consider a nomination for a different award category if the nominee and nomination more closely align with that category’s eligibility requirements and criteria.

Selected award recipients and their supervisors will be notified by email in November.

If an Awards Review Committee member is included as a nominee, they will recuse themselves from the review, discussion and scoring of that nomination. The review process is structured so that the recusal will not adversely affect the nomination’s overall evaluation or scoring.

Award recipients will be recognized during an in-person awards reception and ceremony in early December. The ceremony will also be livestreamed for those unable to attend in person.