Models of Excellence: Commitment to Excellence
The Commitment to Excellence program was introduced in 2004 to provide Penn leaders a vehicle for recognizing outstanding work and commitment to University goals in the face of unprecedented external circumstances.
Examples of achievements that have garnered recognition through the Commitment to Excellence program include:
- the collaboration of several Penn departments to review, admit, and integrate Katrina-displaced college students into our environment in under two weeks;
- the exceptional work of Penn Vet’s communications team when managing Kentucky Derby-winner Barbaro’s extensive treatment at the New Bolton Center—a story that captured national attention; and
- cross-campus efforts to anticipate the effects of the H1N1 virus and successfully manage the pandemic at Penn.
In all of these cases, Penn faculty and staff demonstrated commitment and creativity by developing new and innovative processes during the course of their everyday roles.
Nomination Process
Nominations must be submitted by the Vice Dean, Vice Provost and Vice President level or above and can be submitted as special events occur. They are not linked to the nomination timeline for other Models of Excellence awards.
All nominations should be in the form of a letter submitted to the Vice President for Human Resources, Dr. Jack Heuer. The following must be included in the nomination:
- A description of the actions for which the individual/team is being nominated
- A description of the external circumstance(s) that required these actions
- Contact information for the nominator, the honorees and their direct supervisors
- Contact information for each nominee includes:
- Name
- Title
- Department
- School/center
- Email address
- Phone number
- Direct supervisor
- Confirmation from each person’s supervisor that the individual was involved in the activity being nominated and that he/she is appropriate for Commitment to Excellence recognition.
Notification Process
Nominators will be notified of the status of their nomination after it has been reviewed for compliance with the goals and requirements of the program.
If the nomination is approved, nominators should notify Commitment to Excellence honorees and their respective deans, vice presidents and supervisors.
Awards
Commitment to Excellence awards are given at the discretion of the nominator. The nominator funds the award, as Human Resources cannot anticipate these situations and fund them in advance.
Recognition
Human Resources will publicize the recognition across campus and arrange for the honorees to be acknowledged by the President at the annual Models of Excellence Awards Ceremony. View pictures from previous years’ events.
Previous Honorees
Click below to view previous Commitment to Excellence honorees and their achievements.
2010 Commitment to Excellence Honorees
2008 Commitment to Excellence Honorees
2006 Commitment to Excellence Honorees
2005 Commitment to Excellence Honorees
If you have questions about the Commitment to Excellence program, contact Human Resources at or 215-898-1012.