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Annual Employee Awards + Scholarships

Through the generosity of our donors, the College of Nursing and Health Sciences employees are eligible for several awards each year that celebrate their accomplishments and dedication to the mission of the College and their contributions to the future of nursing. In addition to the awards, our faculty have the opportunity to apply for a donor-supported scholarship to help further their education and research.

Nominations for awards and scholarship applications will open on Jan. 1 and close on March 31.
Award and scholarship recipients will be announced at the College meeting in May.

For any questions please contact Theresa Curtis, Dean’s Assistant, curtistm@uwec.edu.

Awards
CeCelia Zorn Exemplary Teaching Award
Eligibility Criteria

This award recognizes excellence in teaching, whether classroom or clinical or both and will be awarded annually to a member of the faculty or teaching academic staff of the College of Nursing.  Although the intention is to be inclusive, preference may be given to educators early in their teaching career who demonstrate potential for exemplary, committed, and long-term dedication to nursing in higher education. A constant pattern of excellence in teaching should be evident. Student evaluations should be included in determining the award.

Considerations for the award may include, but are not limited to
  • expertise in assisting students to gain theoretical knowledge and transfer it to client care,
  • role modeling professional nursing practice,
  • creativity in promoting learning,
  • exemplary professional development in an area of nursing expertise, and
  • application of research findings to nursing.

Nomination Form

Dean’s Award for Administrative Professional Excellence
Eligibility Criteria

The Dean’s Award for Administrative Professional Excellence will be based on a demonstration of behavior associated with positively contributing to the quality of work life for all employees of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences while honoring their personal work-life boundaries. This award is given to one administrative professional at the university staff or professional academic staff classification and may not be split.  This award is not intended to be a reflection on an individual’s annual performance review and may be awarded in recognition of contributions towards a project, goal, or other short-time endeavors in addition to daily enterprise.

Considerations in positively contributing to the quality of work life for all employees may include, but are not limited to:
  • Exemplifies empowerment and generosity,
  • seeks continuous improvement of self and the College,
  • demonstrates a proactive, data-driven, and collaborative approach to problem-solving,
  • strives to create an environment of trust through open and honest communication, or
  • is a leader in role modeling the prioritization of self-advocacy and overall well-being.

Nomination Form

Ihle Family Award for Caring
Eligibility Criteria

The Ihle Family Award will be based on the demonstration of behaviors associated with caring and awarded to a nursing student, alumni, or member of the faculty/IAS of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. 

 
Considerations in caring may include, but are not limited to
  • performance of nursing responsibilities in an unusually sensitive, caring way,
  • a paper, project, or other creative endeavors that reflect the importance of caring in nursing practice,
  • performance of teaching or administrative responsibilities in a manner that models the caring attributes associated with nursing, and
  • activities that reflect a commitment to a caring colleagueship with peers, health care providers, and/or clients.

Nomination Form

Patricia M. Ostmoe Award for Faculty & Academic Staff Excellence in Clinical Instruction
Eligibility Criteria

This award recognizes excellence in clinical instruction and will be awarded annually to a member of the faculty or teaching academic staff of the Department of Nursing.

Considerations for the award may include, but are not limited to
  • collaborative relationships with agency staff,
  • expertise in assisting students to transfer theoretical knowledge to client care,
  • role-modeling professional nursing practice,
  • creativity in promoting learning in practice environments,
  • exemplary professional development in an area of clinical expertise, and
  • application of research findings to clinical instruction.  A constant pattern of excellence in clinical instruction should be evident. 

Nomination Form     

Rita Kisting Sparks Faculty Service Award
Eligibility Criteria

This award recognizes excellence in service and will be awarded annually to a member of the faculty or teaching academic staff of the School of Nursing.

Considerations for the award may include, but are not limited to
  • consistent and outstanding service in department, school, college, university, and/or UW-System activities,
  • outstanding leadership/service in academic, professional, and/or community organizations,
  • participation in health-related policy-making activities, and
  • service/leadership in the delivery of health care for the community.

Nomination Form

Sue Peck Holism and Integrative Therapies Award
Eligibility Criteria

The award will be presented to faculty/staff member(s) members of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences whose initiative fosters the practice of holism and/or integrative therapies by the nurse, as part of the required nursing curricula. The award will be awarded annually.

Considerations for the award may include, but are not limited to
  • development of assignments students complete in core courses that reinforce holism,
  • clinical projects students participate in that demonstrate the effects of integrative therapies,
  • approaches to help students locate and examine the extensive evidence base for integrative therapies, and
  • programming to expand the knowledge base of faculty/staff on holism and integrative therapies.

Nomination Form

Suzanne Van Ort Award for Faculty Creativity and Scholarliness Faculty Award
Eligibility Criteria

Department of Nursing faculty who are either tenured or in their third or subsequent year of probationary service may apply or be nominated for the award.  The Dean's Award will be based on creativity and scholarliness and awarded to a member of the faculty of the Department of Nursing.

  
Considerations around creativity and scholarliness may include, but are not limited to
  • completion of a nursing research project contributing to an improvement in nursing practice or nursing education,
  • completion of a clinical nursing project contributing to an improvement in nursing care,
  • completion of a scholarly paper which contributes to nursing science, and
  • development of an innovative teaching strategy or nursing education methodology. The strategy or methodology must have been sufficiently evaluated to validate its efficacy and broad utility in nursing education.

Nomination Form

Scholarships
Colleen and Tom Nevins College of Nursing Faculty Development and Scholarship
Purpose

This award recognizes the importance of remaining current in an area of Nursing specialty and in engaging in scholarly activity with the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Ensuring excellence in the professional status of the faculty is critical to carry out the College’s mission.

Eligibility and Criteria

Instructional Academic Staff (IAS) or Faculty are eligible. IAS candidates must be currently enrolled in a PhD or DNP program in good standing. Activities included for usage of this fund would be scholarship activity, research towards achieving tenure, or assistance in achieving a Ph.D. or DNP while on the faculty of UWEC College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

Download Instructions and Application Form

Upload Completed Application Form and Any Supporting Documentation

 

Prior Award and Scholarship Recipients

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