Employee Recognition and Awards Program (ERAP)

The Employee Recognition and Awards Program (ERAP) Selection Committee serves to select the current year ERAP recipients. Current awards include the Nautilus Excellence Awards, Newcomer Excellence Award, Marion Viccars Awards, Community Service Award, Gabor Award, Employee of the Year Award, President’s Award for Diversity and Inclusion, and SGA Distinguished Staff Awards.

This committee is comprised of two members from each University division, selected from the previous three years’ ERAP award recipients. In addition to the two members from each division, the committee also includes the previous year’s Employee of the Year recipient and the previous year’s Marion Viccars Award recipient(s), who serves as the committee chairperson (or co-chairs).

Note: If the previous year’s Marion Viccars Award recipients are unable to serve, the University Provost will designate an individual to serve as the committee chairperson.

Quick-glance Commitments

Human Resources	Selection Committee Chairperson(s)	Selection Committee Members
ERAP Website	Virtual Meeting Selection Committee Nominations Review	Selection Committee Virtual Meeting Attendance
ERAP Announcements	In-Person Meeting Selection Committee Nominations Discussion	Selection Committee In-Person Meeting Attendance
ERAP Selection Committee Process and Procedure Supervision	Awardees Selection and Additional Discussion if Scoring Ties	Nominations Review
ERAP Selection Committee Virtual and In-Person Meetings Coordination	Cumulative ERAP Scoring Spreadsheet	Nominations Scoring
ERAP Staff Senate Notifications	HR Notification of Award Winners and Provision of Official Cumulative Scoring Spreadsheet	Member’s ERAP Scoring Spreadsheets
ERAP Award Recipient Notifications

Division Selection of Committee Members

The HR employee overseeing ERAP (hereafter referred to as “HR”) prepares and shares the spreadsheets each fall with the University President and Division Vice Presidents which include the following:

• Award Calculation Summary detailing the number of eligible awards per division.
• Award Eligibility Reports (Marion Viccars, Nautilus (Non-OPS and OPS), Newcomer Excellence, Community Service, and Gabor).
• Previous 3-Year Award Recipient List for Selection Committee election
• Current Year Selection Committee form for completion

The Divisions review the "Previous 3-Year Award Recipient List" for eligible committee members, select members who will represent their division and serve for the current year, confirm with the selected individuals that they are willing and able to serve, and provide the committee member names to HR by the designated deadline.

Selection Committee Notification

Once all committee members are selected by the Divisions, HR prepares and delivers an email notification to all committee members. This email includes:

• Nomination confirmation
• Identification of the Committee Chairperson(s)
• Timeline for review and selection
• Selection Committee meeting venue and dates
• Confirmation that all committee members have access to an electronic tablet or computer to attend the virtual meeting and view digital nomination forms

Selection Committee Guidelines

• HR will ensure that the Selection Committee abides by the selection committee process.
• The previous year’s Marion Viccars Award winner(s) will serve as the Committee Chairperson or Co-Chairperson(s).
• HR will send an email communication to the committee members and ask each to confirm they understand, “being selected to serve on the committee is an honor and you agree to abide by the full committee process to maintain the dignity of the ERAP program.”.
• The Selection Committee process:
  • The committee will meet two times during the selection process. The first meeting will be conducted virtually via Zoom. HR will explain the selection process, the selection timeline, the selection digital nominations, the selection scoring resources, and the scoring rubrics. This Zoom meeting will be recorded for reference.
  • HR will share the digital nominations, the ERAP Rubric Spreadsheet, and the ERAP Scoring Spreadsheet with all committee members.
  • Each committee member will review all nomination forms for each nomination category and agree not to discuss the nominations with anyone outside of the committee to ensure confidentiality of the nominations and subsequent award recipients.
  • Each committee member will use the rubric from their ERAP Rubric Spreadsheet for initial review of the nominees. This rubric may not be edited.
  • Each committee member will use their ERAP Scoring Spreadsheet to enter their nominee scores.
  • Once the initial review is complete and each committee member has tentatively scored the nominees, the selection committee will meet in-person. HR will be present at this meeting to ensure the selection process is followed. The Committee Chairperson(s) will facilitate the meeting. It is the responsibility of the Committee Chairperson to ensure that all committee members have an opportunity to engage in dialogue and that all views are considered. If an award tie exists, open discussion will determine the award recipient.
  • The committee will select the Employee of the Year from the Nautilus Excellence Award highest-scored nominee and ensure that the individual meets the “5 Years of Service” requirement. If not, the committee will select the next individual in score order, until the requirement is met.
  • The committee is authorized to award one discretionary Nautilus Excellence Award to any nominee from any division.
  • The Committee Chairperson will enter each committee members’ individual scores on the ERAP Scoring Spreadsheet used for overall calculation purposes and ensure that each entry is visible during the meeting by utilizing a virtual display/projection.
  • Once all calculations are complete, the Committee Chairperson will transfer the winner names to a Word document, or Google Doc, and deliver the form along with the official cumulative ERAP Scoring Spreadsheet to HR.

Award Recipient Notifications

When the selection process is complete, HR will communicate the award recipient selections confidentially to Staff Senate. In addition, HR will communicate privately with each award recipient’s supervisor to verify the award recipient’s ceremony attendance and to encourage team attendance.

Our Employee Recognition and Awards Ceremony occurs each spring. However, recognition happens each and every day at UWF! 

Please visit Awardco to celebrate other recognitions! Please note: Your login may be required for access.

Please visit the Division of University Advancement’s employee recognitions page to celebrate outstanding division employees. View their Division Awards of Distinction and On-The Spot Recognitions programs.

• 2023 ERAP Winners
• 2022 Employee Recognition and Awards Program Winners
• 2021 Employee Recognition and Awards Program - No program in 2021
• 2020 Employee Recognition and Awards Program Winners
• 2019 Employee Recognition and Awards Program Winners

Retirement Awards

The University’s Employee Recognition Program provides retiring employees with a choice of retirement mementos. Please make your selection by completing the retirement selection form within six (6) weeks (if possible) of your retirement date so that your selected retirement award may be ordered. If you have any questions about the Retirement Awards Program, please contact Human Resources at 850-474-2694.

Service Awards

Employees who have achieved increments of five (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, etc.) continuous years of service with the University of West Florida are eligible to receive an Employee Service Award.

You may pick up your service award in Human Resources after 2:00 p.m. on the day of the Employee Recognition & Awards Program (ERAP).*

*Faculty Service Awards may be presented later in the year at the Fall Faculty Forum.