Awards Policy

  implemented June 2004

The Board of Directors must approve SIGUCCS Awards in advance. The rest of the document defines the SIGUCCS Awards and Recognitions, including the process in how the awards are presented.

Penny Crane and Hall of Fame Awards

Communications Awards

State Captain Awards

  ACM SIGUCCS Penny Crane and Hall of Fame Awards

At the opening plenary session, the Chair of the Awards Selection Committee (ASC) gives a brief summary of the awards and tells people how they can contribute financially towards the Penny Crane Award.

The Chair of the Board recognizes the recipient of the Penny Crane Award, makes a few short comments about the recipient, and invites the recipient to accept the award. The recipient is requested to keep his/her comments very short (less than 5 minutes), but is invited to say a few words.

The Chair of the ASC gives a short description of the Hall of Fame Awards. He/She reads the names of the recipients, asking them to stand (and come to the front of the room) when their name is read, and asking the audience to refrain from clapping until all names are read. He/She also refers people to read about the contributions of the recipients in the Hall of Fame handout that was in their registration packet.

All of these award winners are given a ribbon to wear during the conference. The Penny Crane Award winner's ribbon reads "Penny Crane Award" and is red, Penny Crane's favorite color. The Hall of Famers are given ribbons that read "Hall of Fame" on them. The Chair of the ASC will advise the Conference Liaison of the number of ribbons needed. The Conference Coordinator (currently CTE) will order the ribbons.

The brochure that is created by the ASC will be in everyone's packet during registration. The ASC will also create posters that can be mounted next to the registration desk. The information made available by the ASC for the SIGUCCS web site can be used to create the brochure and the posters. The conference committee will make sure that there is space near the registration desk for the posters.

The recognition/awards committee should draft newsletter articles for the Penny Crane and the HOFs and give those to the newsletter editor. The newsletter editor can enhance these articles with a few quotes from on-site interviews with the awardees. If possible, the award winners should be documented in the program (and on the proceedings CD as well). A separate article on each HOF winner is acceptable if we don't have too many (this will be left to the committee to decide). The committee will also be providing the posters of the awardees that will be on display throughout the conference.

On the morning of the first plenary session, there will be a sit down breakfast to honor the award winners. The Chair (SIGUCCS or ASC) will present the plaques to the Hall of Famers. Invited to the morning breakfast are the ASC, the SIGUCCS Board, the Penny Crane award winner, and the Hall of Fame recipients. The Conference Coordinator (currently CTE) will coordinate the breakfast with the hotel. The ASC will invite the awardees to the breakfast when they are told about the award. The ASC should advise the Conference Liaison of the award winners, so that he/she can ensure that there is an invitation in the awardees' registration package. The Conference Liaison will have the Conference Coordinator make the breakfast arrangements.

The costs associated with the physical recognition of the award are covered by the SIGUCCS operating budget.

  Procedures for the Penny Crane and Hall of Fame Awards

The ACM SIGUCCS Awards Selection Committee is a committee of six members appointed to serve as the reviewing body for the SIGUCCS awards. Each member serves for three years, and terms are staggered so that two members complete their terms each year. The SIGUCCS Chair appoints the Committee Chair each year.  The Committee Chair appoints members to fill vacant seats, with the approval of the SIGUCCS Chair. The Board’s past chair is the official liaison between the Committee and the Board.  Members of the Selection Committee are not eligible for awards during their term of committee service.

The www.acm.org/siguccs web site contains nomination forms for both awards.

  Communication Awards

The institution that wins the most awards for communications is asked to jury the following year's awards. It is suggested that there be a group of people jurying the entries, using people from different universities, if possible. Members of the evaluation team, known as the Communication Awards Committee - CAC, should not be jurying their own entries.

The Information Director is the Board Liaison to the Communications Awards Committee.

In the past year there have been a number of Categories and Subcategories established for the awards. It is recommended that each Category have an overall winner. There will probably be recognitions in subcategories including some 2nd and 3rd place recognitions.

The process for the Communications Awards is:

• The CAC determines the major categories and subcategories to be used for the awards.

• The CAC prepares a timeline so that the call for entries is part of the call for proposals for the conference. The CAC notifies the award recipients at least one week prior to the end of the early bird registration period and informs the recipients of the activities described below in recognition of their award. At the same time, the CAC should inform people who did not win of the decision concerning their submission and invite them to participate in the next year. The CAC determines one overall winner in the major categories, as well as the other recognitions that are to be made.

• These overall winners are asked to participate as individual poster presenter's giving attendees an opportunity to talk directly with the winners. The Information Director must coordinate with the Conference Liaison to make sure that the person in charge of the poster sessions knows who will be participating.

• One daily conference newsletter should list the names of all of the award winners. This list will be provided by the CAC. The newsletter editor could enhance the article with a few quotes from on-site interviews with award winners. Alternatively, the CAC can provide a handout for the attendee's packet that includes the information about the awards.

• All entries that have been recognized in the communications awards can have their materials displayed in the Documentation Room. The overall winning posters can be on display in the Documentation Room.

• Everyone who is recognized is given a ribbon to wear that reads "Communications Award". The Information Director will let the Board's Conference Liaison know the number of ribbons that are needed. The Conference Coordinator will insure that the ribbons are available.

• The CAC orders plaques for all the entries being recognized by the communications award. The plaques will be given to the recipients at the conference. The plaques are paid for by SIGUCCS, not the conference.

• The Board hosts a breakfast for all the winners on the last day of the conference. The Chair of the Board says a few words about the importance and different forms and focuses of communications. Plaques are presented to the winners during the breakfast. The CAC and the Board are invited to the breakfast, along with the recipients. The recipients are invited to the breakfast when they are notified that they have received an award. The Information Director will insure that there is an invitation to the breakfast in the recipient's registration package. The number of people attending the continental breakfast will be reduced, and therefore there will be little change in cost. The Information Director will let the Board's Conference Liaison know the number of people to expect for breakfast. The Conference Coordinator will coordinate the breakfast with the hotel.

• The CAC will create a poster containing the list of award winners that will be displayed throughout the conference near the registration desk. The Conference Committee will make sure that there is space near the registration desk for the poster.

• The Chair of the Board sends a letter to each institution as a further recognition of the institutional award.

• The CAC will provide the Chair of the Conference some statistics to be included in the final report to the Board. To be included are: the number of submissions, the number of awards, and the % of all of the submissions that received awards.

  State Captain Recognition

In recognition for the work performed by the State Captains, there is a small token of recognition given to the state captains for the largest number of NEW attendees from the "small" states and from the "large states". Small states are defined as states that have 7 or fewer electoral votes (23 states, including DC); the large states are the remainder of the states, those having 8 ore more electoral votes (28 states, plus Canada). The state where the meeting is being held is not eligible for the recognition. The person responsible for the state captains manages this process. The recognition is normally given at the final plenary session and is presented by the conference chair(s) during their portion of the program.

  Poster Awards

There are no awards for poster presentations.