Nominations are currently being accepted for a special award honouring extraordinary work in the community by a Memorial University employee.

The 2016 President’s Award for Exceptional Community Service recognizes a faculty or staff member who helps the community by sharing scientific and scholarly expertise, by working with and supporting grassroots organizations or by volunteering her or his time to worthy causes, among other things.

Special obligation

“The exceptional community service award speaks to who we are at Memorial and the important role our employees play in their communities,” said President Kachanoski. “We have a special obligation to the people of the province and every day faculty and staff fulfil that obligation in countless ways. Their ingenuity, talents and skills have significant impact on the communities or organizations they serve. It is fitting that a university unequivocally committed to the public good should formally recognize these dedicated individuals.”

Dr. April Manuel, School of Nursing, received the award in 2015. Dr. Manuel’s community service activities focus on helping organizations that help her patients, primarily in the area of her nursing expertise: cardiovascular disease. Among her many endeavours, she helped develop the Heart and Stroke Foundation subchapter in 2011, one of the first student-led subchapters of a community-based organization at the school and the first of its kind in Canada.

Above and beyond

Nominees must have a sustained pattern of exceptional voluntary contributions to communities or organizations. These activities must be beyond what might normally be considered academic or professional service and must have had a significant impact upon those organizations or on communities.

In order to be considered, nominees must be full-time employees with a minimum of five years of continuous service and have made the cited community contributions while working at the university.

Nominees cannot be previous recipients of the award. The award will consist of a personalized scroll and a monetary award of $1,000.

Details online

Nominations can come from any member of the university community or the general public. Nominators must submit a nomination file, including a letter detailing the exceptional nature of the nominee’s contributions and the significance of that contribution; the nominee’s résumé (not to exceed five pages); and up to three letters of support which address the scope, time commitment and impact of the nominee’s contributions.
Full details are online.

This year’s deadline is June 17.