Dean's Distinction

• Individual Dean's Distinction: A staff member can be nominated for Individual Dean's Distinction for their outstanding citizenship, collaboration, and exceptional contribution over the last calendar year in support of the teaching and research mission. 
   
• Team Dean's Distinction: Teams consisting of up to eight (and in some cases up to twelve*) staff members can be nominated for Team Dean's Distinction for their exceptional work, and for their outstanding collaboration and contribution over the last calendar year. 

*Please note, the maximum number of staff members that can be nominated for Team Dean’s Distinction is eight. However, exceptions can be made for up to twelve people if the circumstances call for it. If the team you are nominating has more than eight people, please explain why the team has additional members. 

When considering a staff member or team of staff members to nominate for Dean’s Distinction, please keep the following guiding principles in mind: 

• Cultivating a strong sense of community and connection across the FAS.
• Building morale in the work environment with intentional care and consideration.
• Exceeding regular responsibilities and expectations (i.e., going above and beyond) even in the course of doing one’s regular job.
• Promoting empathy, authenticity, and mutual respect as hallmarks of excellence in the FAS.
• Demonstrating creativity and innovation through collaboration and solutions-oriented approaches.

When writing your nomination, it can be helpful to identify how an individual or team exemplified one or more of these principles in their work over the last year. When submitting your nomination, you will be asked which guiding principle(s) are best reflected in your nomination.

Eligible FAS staff members for Dean’s Distinction are:

• Benefits-eligible, full-time or part-time staff
• Non-HUCTW and HUCTW staff
• Has been in an FAS benefits-eligible position for at least one year
• Job grade levels:
  • 47 through 60 for Individual Dean's Distinction
  • 47 through 64 for Team Dean's Distinction
• Less than Half Time (LHT) staff may be nominated as a member of a team (but not as an individual) 

Please note: While previous Dean's Distinction nominees (from any year) are eligible to be nominated again this year, recipients of Individual Dean’s Distinction in 2020-2025 are not eligible to be nominated, unless they are being nominated for Team Dean's Distinction. Harvard coaches, faculty members, students and retirees are not eligible. 

At the FAS, we are intentional about creating an inclusive and supportive community. As such, we should look to reflect this same intentionality in our recognition of talented staff. Please keep the breadth of our FAS staff in mind when considering potential nominees. This includes staff from a variety of job types, departments or units, backgrounds, and union status. Especially please consider those who may be 'unsung heroes' in their work.

Similarly, please strongly consider individuals who have demonstrated excellence in creating and maintaining an environment where all individuals can thrive, as this makes the FAS more prepared to serve our mission of excellence in teaching and research. 

• Nominees from all grade levels should be considered. This is an excellent opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of support staff from across the FAS.
• When describing the nominated staff member's/team's accomplishments, please explain why this individual or team meets the criteria for Dean’s Distinction.
• Since the nomination form does not allow you to “save” your work, we suggest that you write your nomination narrative in a separate Word document, and then copy and paste the text into the online nomination form. Nomination narratives should be between 500 and 2,500 characters in length, including spaces.
• After completing the nomination form, click "Submit" and you will see a confirmation notice.