Outstanding Team Award

Purpose of Award

This award recognizes the excellence of an Extension team in performing the work of Extension research, technical assistance and outreach education.

Eligibility

The team members should include at a minimum two of the award category classifications (i.e., support staff, program staff, administrative faculty, academic faculty, and/or supporter) for team efforts that occurred during the last three years.

Criteria for Award

This award will honor outstanding efforts, encourage workplace creativity and innovation, and celebrate the achievements of Extension professionals. Describe how the team has excelled in an area of programming and how they are making significant contributions to the state.

The criteria for this award draw from those described for the National Cooperative Extension Awards offered by the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The criteria are:

• Justification of need (include formal process identifying the need and how team effort was created to meet the need).
• Description of activities conducted within the past 3 years to meet the identified needs and evidence of excellence related to those activities.
• Documented high impact on the intended audience in the interest of the public good, including assessment of the program indicated by economic, social, and/or environmental impact.
• Demonstrated team innovation regarding partnerships established, funding acquired and educational program delivery.
• Evidence of how this team collaboration has led to success beyond what could be accomplished individually, and evidence of sustainability of efforts.
• Demonstrated conveyance of cultural sensitivity and appreciation for diversity.

Example of questions asked about the nominee on the nomination form:

1. Please outline the formal process by which needs of the program were identified.
2. Please describe the activities conducted within the past 3 years to meet the identified needs and evidence of excellence related to those activities.
3. Please detail the impact on intended audience in the interest of the public good, including assessment of the program indicated by economic, social and/or environmental impact.
4. Please give details of the team’s innovation regarding partnerships established, funding acquired and educational program delivery.
5. Please provide evidence of how this team collaboration has led to success beyond what could be accomplished individually, including ability to integrate research and/or teaching colleagues in Extension programming.