They fix electrical problems, file paperwork, water the grass and keep students safes. The classified staff of the University serve a very important and sometimes unseen role.
Debora Carden, senior secretary at Firelands campus, knows this. Outside of her secretarial duties, she chairs the Spirit of BG Award for the classified staff.
“A lot of the time students and faculty receive awards, so I think [the Classified Staff Council] wanted to showcase the classified staff as well,” Carden said.
For three years, Carden has sat on the board that reviews entries for the Spirit of BG award. The members of the board are classified staff members that are a part of the Classified Staff Council (CSC), a University organization serving the interests and wellbeing of classified staff members.
The nomination process is simple: fill out a form found on the CSC website and submit it. Digital is recommended, but hard copies will be accepted.
A candidate for the award, according Spirit of BG guideline PDF on the CSC website, is a full-time or part-time classified staff member at Firelands or the main campus who “has demonstrated the spirit of BG as defined by the university vision, mission, core values, learning outcomes and/or goals,” or as Carden says, “going above and beyond to help students.”
The award is given on a monthly basis with nominations accepted from the first to the last day of the month. Each nomination is looked over by the chairperson for the Spirit of BG award and decided upon shortly after the entry period is closed.
Unlike most awards you see, there is no clear cut winner for the Spirit of BG Award. Every nomination is considered a win. A look at past CSC Spirit of BG awards shows months like December of 2012 when four people were nominated. Other months are listed as showing no nominations at all.
Despite the ‘everyone’s a winner’ nature of the award, Carden said it is still “a huge boost to morale.”
“I think the classified staff is probably one of the most hard working groups on campus. We are pretty much the answer people on campus. Its nice to take that five to 10 minutes out of your day and recognize a classified staff member,” she said.
All nominees receive a certificate, their names on the CSC website, a copy of the nomination and recognition at the CSC awards banquet at the end of the year. A small monetary award, usually in the amount of $50, is given out as well.
Nominations can come from anyone. Carden sees a lot of them come from supervisors and co-workers that notice someone doing more than what is asked of them. She cites a classified staff member who volunteered for a large number of off campus events. Another who worked in the study abroad program and invited people from other countries to her house to experience American life.
“A big part is going all out for students and guests. Being the first point of contact for a lot of them, you want to make a good first impression. It is important to be that lasting impression for our students and guests,” she said.
Terri Carver stands out in Carden’s mind as a strong example of a Spirit of BG award recipient.
Carver, a 13-year member of the University classified staff, who is retiring this year has been nominated three times in six years, nominated at least one person herself and chaired the Spirit of BG Award from 2011 to 2015. Her July 2013 nomination credits her as “a champion for both the students and staff alike.” A large commitment to Martin Luther King Jr. Day lunch services earned her two more nominations.
“She is just a stand out employee, a joy to know. She was so involved in every aspect of Bowling Green,” said Carden.
The Administrative Staff Council (ASC) holds a separate Spirit of BG Award.
Nominations work the same way: You see a staff member go above and beyond their job description and you fill out a form on the ASC website. The ASC form is online only.
The only real difference in the award is a change in the monetary value to $75.
Forms for each award can be found at:
www.bgsu.edu/administrative-staff-council/awards/nomination-form.html
for the Administrative Staff Council.
www.bgsu.edu/classified-staff-council/awards-information/spirit-of-bg-award.html for the Classified Staff Council.
