HFA Outstanding Staff Award

Award

The HFA Outstanding Staff Award recognizes staff members who have made outstanding contributions to their department or the College of Humanities and Fine Arts in one or more of the following areas:

  • Administration
  • Finance
  • Human resources
  • Communications
  • Research and faculty support
  • Advising and student support

Up to two awards will be presented annually. Each recipient will receive a $500 cash award and will be recognized at the end-of-year HFA Awards and Recognition Ceremony.

Deadline to nominate: Friday, 10/30/2026, 11:59 p.m.
Nomination Form

Eligibility, Nomination Procedure, and Selection

  • Nominations are due on Friday, October 30, 2026. The nomination form will be available through the UMass InfoReady portal.

  • Full-time HFA staff members are eligible to be nominated.

  • Nominations may be submitted by any member of the HFA community with a UMass Amherst email account.

  • Self-nominations will be considered.

  • Nominations should include a statement of up to 1,000 words describing the nominee’s outstanding contributions to their department or the College.

  • The nomination statement should provide specific examples of the nominee’s accomplishments and impact in one or more eligible areas: administration, finance, human resources, communications, research and faculty support, or advising and student support.

  • Repeat nominations are allowed

  • Previous recipients are eligible to receive the award again.

  • All nominations shall be kept confidential.

  • A review panel will evaluate the nominations and submit its recommendations to the Dean. The Dean will make the final selection.

  • Award recipients will be announced in Spring 2027 and invited to the HFA Faculty, Staff, and Graduate Student Recognition Ceremony.

Award Management

  • Each recipient will receive a $500 cash award.

  • The award will be disbursed through University payroll and will be subject to applicable taxes and withholding.

Who to Contact

Randy Grzych, Director of Human Resources, rgrzych [at] umass [dot] edu (rgrzych[at]umass[dot]edu)

Pamela Ciminera, Senior Associate Dean for Administration, Finance, and Operations, pciminera [at] umass [dot] edu (pciminera[at]umass[dot]edu)