Three staff members were honoured at Wednesday’s end-of-year Christmas party for their outstanding contributions to Lincoln University.
The Staff Excellence Awards recognise two individuals or teams who have shown a passion for excellence, while the new Critic and Conscience of Society Award acknowledges a staff member who is committed to raising important issues in the public realm.
The winners of the 2019 Staff Excellence Awards are Health, Safety and Compliance Manager, Tracey Nelson, and Bio-Protection Research Centre Operations Manager, Andrew Holyoake.
The Critic and Conscience of Society Award went to Professor of Economics and Deputy Director of the Agribusiness and Economics Research Unit, Paul Dalziel.
Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Bruce McKenzie said the awards represented a meaningful and tangible way that the university could acknowledge and reward staff for their hard work and dedication.
“It’s our chance to say thank you and to ensure our high achievers know how proud we are of them. Importantly, the awards are peer-nominated, which speaks highly about being recognised by fellow colleagues.”
Tracey received her award in recognition of her implementation of the SAFELU application, which Professor McKenzie said took a serious level of leadership.
“The launch and usage of the app represented a significant change for Lincoln staff and students and how we communicate with them during emergencies and events.”
Staff members commented on the nomination form that the various business cases, research and customisations of the product resulted in an excellent application for Lincoln University and demonstrated a significant amount of time, effort and tenacity from Tracey.
“Tracey went the extra mile ensuring that staff and students had an easy-to-use app, which has resulted in a reduction in anxiety, reassurance and an improved state of mind for stakeholders,” one person remarked.
Andrew received his award for consistently “going above and beyond expectations through sheer determination and commitment,” Professor McKenzie said.
“He is often described by colleagues as ‘pretty amazing’ in his ability to enable the success of staff and students, and is also known as a fixer and ‘go-to guy’.”
Staff members commented on the nomination form that Andrew had “shown initiative and willingness to keep the team on track and troubleshoot before issues have arisen, while acting professionally”.
“His dedication to the university and the ethics and morals he brings to his role mean he is frequently called upon to lead or contribute to various groups. He’s actually pretty amazing and well deserving of a staff excellence award.”
A total of 42 Staff Excellence Award nomination forms were received this year for 26 individuals and one team.
Paul received his award due to his steadfast commitment to the role of critic and conscience of society.
“He has consistently advocated for public policy based on wellbeing economics, rather than promoting GDP for its own sake,” said Professor McKenzie.
“The influence of his work reaches a global audience. A second book, Wellbeing Economics: The Capabilities Approach to Prosperity, published in 2018, became the fifth most downloaded book in economics published by Palgrave Macmillan that year.”
Four nominations were received for the 2019 Critic and Conscience of Society Award.