UCLA’s faculty members and administrators may now have a
new incentive to spend time assisting students.
With a new award to be given out next spring, the Undergraduate
Students Association Council plans to acknowledge those staff
members who have worked with and supported undergraduates in their
efforts to initiate projects and programs.
Guidelines for the annual USAC Faculty, Staff and Administrator
Recognition Award, which was proposed by Academic Affairs
Commissioner Nat Schuster, were recently passed, and the process
was finalized at last week’s USAC meeting.
“The purpose of this award is to recognize those who have
worked with student leaders,” Schuster said.
“Hopefully, it’ll promote collaboration between UCLA
students and UCLA administrators.”
In order to be eligible for the distinction, faculty members
must be nominated by a student. Any undergraduate student who has
worked with staff or administrators may recommend someone to be
recognized for his or her work.
Examples of eligible nominees would be an administrator, a
faculty member involved with the Academic Senate or administration
of an academic department and a director of a campus entity that
serves undergraduates, according to USAC’s guidelines.
USAC is currently working on the nomination application, which
should be available Jan. 1 on the USAC Web site. Students will have
until March 1 to submit nominations.
A Recognition Committee of three USAC members would review the
applications and decide on a nominee. Finally, the committee would
present its choice to the council, which would then vote on whether
that person deserves the award.
USAC will announce the recipient by May 1 and present him or her
with a personalized plaque. USAC is planning to install a plaque in
Murphy Hall, where each recipient’s name would be inscribed.
The award winner would also be acknowledged in USAC’s
Installation Ceremony in the spring, Schuster said.
“I think once people become aware of the award, it will
incentivize (staff members) to put extra effort into helping
students,” said Rick Tuttle, administrative representative to
USAC.
But not all administrators believe the award would encourage the
faculty to reach out to students.
“The award is a great idea, but I don’t think it
will be an incentive for the faculty to assist students with their
projects,” said Adrienne Lavine, former chairwoman of the
Academic Senate. “I think they do it because it’s
something they value and think is important. They’ll do it
regardless if there’s an award or not.”
“It’s great that their dedication will be
recognized,” she added.
In the past few years, new programs, such as the Undergraduate
Student Initiated Education Seminars, have been made possible by
collaborative efforts between USAC and certain UCLA staff members,
said Cindy Fang, a fourth-year economics and international
development studies student who runs the USIE seminar program.
“It’s definitely a beneficial award because it
bridges relations between students and administrators in terms of
student advocacy,” Fang said.
Schuster said the award may help strengthen student-faculty
relationships, which is one of USAC’s goals for this
year.