CMU receives 80 nominations for Staff Excellence Awards

80 Central Michigan University staff members have been nominated for the 2025 Staff Excellence Awards — nearly double the number of nominations received last year.

The awards, which recognize staff employees for outstanding service to the university, were first awarded in 1993 and returned last year after a brief post-COVID hiatus. Anyone at CMU can nominate an individual for recognition, and this year, nominators responded enthusiastically.

“We received a wide array of nominations with great examples of CMU staff members who go the extra mile to support students, staff and administrators,” said Joe Garrison, assistant to the university president for strategic initiatives and co-chair of the Shared Governance Council. “Among the nominees were a number of unsung heroes who are very passionate about CMU.”

The awards are a joint effort between CMU’s Shared Governance Council and the university’s Office of Human Resources. Nominations are reviewed by a group of faculty and staff members from the university’s Shared Governance Council; forms are carefully redacted so that reviewers do not see any personally identifiable information about the nominees until their selections have been made.

Garrison said that 20 nominees will be selected to receive this year’s Staff Excellence Awards, and notification will begin later this spring. A ceremony to honor all nominees and recipients will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, September 23, 2025, in the University Center Rotunda.

Staff Excellence Award recipients receive special gold name tags, award plaques, and a free one-year parking pass.