Staff Rewards

Established in Fall 2008, the Staff Rewards Committee is designed to maintain a system to recognize out-of-the-ordinary staff efforts and provide meaningful rewards for those efforts. This group oversees the following staff rewards opportunities:

Bauer College Staff Scholarships

Each Fall and Spring semester, full-time staff members may apply for $1,000 scholarships. Funding is also available for academic study in the summer.

  • The number of scholarships awarded each semester depends on the income from the endowment earnings, but past years have allowed for twelve scholarships in Fall and Spring and six scholarships in summer.
  • Applicants must show good academic standing and have been a full-time Bauer College staff member for at least one year prior to the semester of semester for which the scholarship is requested.
  • Since funds are limited, applicants must apply by the deadline and should be aware that no more than twelve scholarships are usually available in fall and spring; no more than six scholarships are available in summer.
  • Click here for the Bauer Staff Scholarship Application form

T.E.D. Awards

T.E.D. awards are available year around. Nominations are based on a staff member going "above and beyond" their job requirements. The two options for TED awards are

Annual Outstanding Staff Member Awards

STAR Rewards Program

  • Bauer STAR Rewards Program will begin on August 1st 2009.
  • STARs are given to Bauer staff who have made exceptional contributions and exceeded expectations in delivering superior quality customer service to external customers (students, or prospective students, vendors, etc) or internal customers (other staff, departments and colleges within UH)

Criteria for receiving a STAR are flexible. In general, the award recognizes exceptional performance or exemplary actions resulting in quality service, including compassion and caring, that go well beyond expectations for customer service. Some examples are:

  • Going above and beyond to help a student
  • Helping a colleague with a project
  • Exceptional organization and performance of an event

How staff members get a STAR:

  • Blank STAR cards will be distributed by the SRC members to all staff and/or supervisors to be accessible in their offices at any time. If the departmental supply runs out, additional blank STAR cards can be requested from the SRC members.
  • Blank STAR cards will be available at staff’s desk to encourage people to award them. Staff can give information about the Bauer STAR Program to students, faculty and others who might be willing to award them.
  • Anyone within UH can give a Bauer STAR to a staff member (prospective students, students, other staff & faculty) by filling out the STAR card.
  • If a staff member receives a special thank you email or thank you card for outstanding service, the email or card can be taken to a SRC committee member to complete a STAR for you (this cannot be a regular thank you email, it must be one for outstanding service; it will be evaluated by the SRC member to see if it qualifies for a STAR).
  • When a staff member receives a STAR, they must take it to one of the SRC members to get it validated with a stamp.
  • SRC member will log the entry into a SRC spreadsheet to keep track of valid stars.
  • A $250 prize will be awarded at three points during the year to the staff member with the greatest number of STARs for that preceding time period. If there is a tie, the money will be split equally among the winners.

Award Periods:

  • Period 1 Award: (Deadline December 1st)
    Stars received from August 1st thru November 30th
  • Period 2 Award: (Deadline April 1st)
    Stars received from December 1st thru March 31st
  • Period 3 Award: (Deadline August 1st )
    Stars received from April 1st thru July 31st

To qualify to win one of the $250 awards, the staff member must submit the STAR participant form (with all his/her STARs stapled to it) to a SRC member by the deadline.

Annual Deans’ Excellence Award

The Deans’ Excellence Award is determined by the Dean’s Office and is awarded annually to a director-level staff member, including assistant or associate directors.

  • Nominees are accepted by the Dean’s Office from any Bauer staff member
  • Award is not available for dean-level or faculty directors
  • Guidelines for nominations will be posted in the near future

Additional reward possibilities are being explored and will be added as developed. The Staff Rewards Committee is comprised of full-time Bauer staff members (our names are listed below) and welcomes staff input about staff rewards and opportunities. If you would like to contact us with ideas or comments, please email us at src@bauer.uh.edu.

Rewards Committee Members

The Staff Rewards Committee is comprised of 5-7 members. We are currently seeking additional full-time staff members to join our Committee. Please email us at src@uh.edu with your name, department, and level of interest. We will contact you to discuss.