Staff Awards

The Awards

Staff Leadership Award

The Staff Leadership Award recognizes a staff member in any role who leads by serving others. It's awarded to an employee of any job title, not only to those whose position involves managing others.

The recipient demonstrates any of the 10 Characteristics of a Servant Leader, as identified by Larry Spears. Spears gathered these characteristics from the writings of Robert K. Greenleaf, who coined the term "servant-leader" in his 1970 essay, "The Servant as Leader."

1. Listening: they listen to understand and practice active listening to identify the needs of a group or individual.
2. Empathy: they strive to accept and recognize people for their unique spirits, assume good intentions, and don't reject people.
3. Healing: they help create a psychologically and emotionally safe work environment.
4. Awareness: they're aware of what's happening within the organization and show self-awareness by understanding that how they show up for the team matters.
5. Persuasion: they build consensus rather than simply giving orders.
6. Conceptualization: they look beyond day-to-day operational goals and think strategically about the long-term future.
7. Foresight: they're able to see and avoid potential pitfalls.
8. Stewardship: they care for the organization, holding it in trust for the greater good of society rather than viewing themselves as its owner.
9. Commitment to the Growth of People: they believe people have value beyond their contributions as workers, and they're deeply committed to the personal and professional growth of every individual.
10. Building Community: they look for ways to build community among those who work at Hope College, so we're a cohesive unit rather than a collection of individuals.

Bedrock Award

The Bedrock Award recognizes a staff member who keeps things reliable and steady in their area or department. This person is essential, but often unseen. They provide the essential foundation for our daily operations, and they're the behind-the-scenes powerhouse whose work is so consistent and reliable that it often goes unnoticed, until you imagine the college without them.

The Bedrock Award recipient:

• Demonstrates unwavering reliability and excellence in their technical or operational role.
• Solves complex problems quietly and efficiently.
• Is the go-to person for institutional knowledge or critical support.

Who Can Nominate and Who's Eligible

• Any Hope faculty or staff member can submit a nomination.
• Any staff member can receive an award, including administrators, regardless of FTE. Eligibility is based on how Human Resources classifies the position, so staff who also teach are eligible.
• Each nomination covers one person for one award. To nominate the same person for both awards, submit the form a second time.
• Nominations start fresh each year, so a nomination from a past cycle doesn't carry over.
• Please note that SIC members are not eligible for SIC awards.

What Recipients Receive

Each recipient receives a day off and a framed certificate. The awards are presented by President Scogin or a designee at the spring All Staff Gathering on Tuesday, March 9, 2027.

How to Nominate

Fill out the Staff Awards Nomination Form. Nominations for the 2026-2027 cycle close Friday, January 15, 2027.

We're looking for stories more than adjectives. Instead of calling someone a great leader or dependable, tell us about a specific time they helped a colleague grow, solved a problem nobody else could, or were the person people called when they didn't know where else to turn. We ask for at least 150 words so the committee has the details it needs.

How Recipients Are Chosen

After nominations close, the Awards subcommittee reviews every nomination and narrows each award to two or three nominees. The full Staff Interests Committee then votes to choose each recipient.

Questions

Email the Staff Interests Committee at staffinterests@hope.edu.