Staff Excellence Awards
As a part of Northeastern University’s commitment to excellence, the university will award four Excellence Awards in recognition of the accomplishments of our talented staff. All staff members are critical to Northeastern reaching its organizational goals; recipients of the Excellence Awards go above and beyond as champions of our communities to advance and support the university’s mission.
Innovation Across the Network
Leverages Northeastern’s innovative, global environment to generate impact
This award recognizes staff or teams who leveraged Northeastern’s innovative, global environment to make a significant impact across the community. They are changemakers who create unique experiences, including: Heightening Northeastern’s role in transforming higher education, facilitating cross-campus and community collaborations, and creating network-wide opportunities for Northeastern.
Strong nominations cite specific examples of how nominees: Exercise experiential learning and systems thinking, and respond to shifting contexts.
Strong nominations cite specific examples of how nominees: Exercise experiential learning and systems thinking, and respond to shifting contexts.
Driver of Inclusion and Belonging
Fuels initiatives that empower marginalized communities and elevate unheard voices
This award recognizes staff or teams dedicated to DEIBJ efforts throughout the university. They support initiatives that empower marginalized communities and elevate underrepresented voices by: Mentoring and advocating for underrepresented colleagues, leading a Northeastern Affinity Group, integrating DEIBJ into their day-to-day work, building partnerships between Northeastern and local communities, and contributing to DEIBJ committees, groups, research, and other initiatives on campus.
Strong nominations cite specific examples of how nominees: Make contributions with network-wide impact, and embody entrepreneurship, innovation, and creativity.
Strong nominations cite specific examples of how nominees: Make contributions with network-wide impact, and embody entrepreneurship, innovation, and creativity.
Model Mentor and Coach Award
Actively mentors colleagues and has coaching conversations
This award recognizes those who serve as career catalysts and cultivate relationships through mentoring and coaching colleagues as individual contributors or in management roles. These individuals support, challenge, learn, and grow with others by: Encouraging feedback from others, assisting in strategic development, inspiring confidence in others, and sharing career advancement opportunities.
Strong nominations cite specific examples of: Mentees this person may have (and includes testimonials from them), and mentorship or coaching frameworks this person utilizes or models.
Strong nominations cite specific examples of: Mentees this person may have (and includes testimonials from them), and mentorship or coaching frameworks this person utilizes or models.
Dream Team
Collaborates in strategic, complex ways to meet a team goal
This award recognizes teams, from duos to divisions, that work strategically and creatively to achieve exceptional results. Utilizing each team member’s strengths, they achieve the improbable. Successful teams demonstrate qualities like: Strong leadership, creative problem-solving, strategic planning, leveraging the skills of team members to achieve shared objectives.
Strong nominations cite specific examples of how nominees: Make university-wide impact or how their activities are imperative to university function, and embody entrepreneurship and innovation.
Strong nominations cite specific examples of how nominees: Make university-wide impact or how their activities are imperative to university function, and embody entrepreneurship and innovation.
Submit Nominations for 2025
Help us recognize the extraordinary work of our staff by submitting a nomination for an individual or a team
Excellence Awards History
Since its inception, Northeastern's staff have played a crucial role in our university's success. As the university has grown, our staff colleagues have excelled in innovation, creativity, and service.
Established in 2011, the Staff Excellence Awards honor the remarkable achievements of our dedicated staff. As we reimagine these awards for 2025, we continue to celebrate those whose contributions shape Northeastern's past, present, and future.