Chancellor's Leadership Awards

Any faculty member, librarian or staff of the University of Toronto can nominate an individual for the Chancellor’s Leadership Award. Self-nominations are not accepted.

Nominees must be administrative staff (union or non-union) or librarians who have active status and are in good standing at the University of Toronto.

Successful candidates will normally have completed five years of service at U of T by the nomination deadline.

Past recipients of an Award of Excellence (including the President’s Excellence Award) can be nominated for a Chancellor’s Leadership Award, provided they meet the eligibility and selection criteria.

Successful nomination packages will demonstrate the nominee’s ability to meet the selection criteria (detailed below) by providing specific examples of their contributions to the University. 

An individual can be nominated for only one category of the Chancellor’s Leadership Award each year.

EMERGING LEADER AWARD SELECTION CRITERIA

Nominees in this category should demonstrate significant potential to assume more senior leadership at U of T.

Nomination letters should illustrate the individual’s emerging leadership excellence, their impact on the broader University community, their commitment to acquiring new professional skills, and their contributions and achievements in one or more of the following areas:

• Making sustained and / or significant improvements to business processes to better serve the University’s mission,
• Leading by example in their dedication to service and / or support,
• Mentoring colleagues and encouraging professional development,
• Actively promoting, contributing to, and demonstrating the University’s principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion across three campuses, and / or
• Displaying an ongoing commitment to the University through outstanding volunteer service to the University beyond their job requirements.

Nominees for this category cannot be a past recipient of any Chancellor’s Leadership Award.

DISTINGUISHED LEADER AWARD SELECTION CRITERIA

Nominees in this category have demonstrated leadership excellence within their Faculty / division, are dedicated to enhancing their professional skills, and significantly advance the work of their Faculty / division.

Nomination letters should illustrate the individual’s contributions and / or achievements over a prolonged period in one or more of the following areas:

• Improving their Faculty / division by creating new business processes or increasing the efficiency of existing business processes,
• Establishing inclusive practices within their Faculty / division,
• Acting as a mentor to advise and guide junior colleagues,
• Initiating collaborative partnerships across Faculties / divisions or with the broader community, and / or
• Demonstrating a commitment to support, participate in, and collaborate on programming or initiatives that advance the University’s principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion within their Faculty / division.

Nominees for this category cannot be a past recipient of a Chancellor’s Leadership Award – Influential Leader OR a Chancellor’s Leadership Award – Distinguished Leader.

INFLUENTIAL LEADER AWARD SELECTION CRITERIA

Nominees in this category should have consistently demonstrated innovative leadership and have achieved outstanding contributions to the tri-campus University community by motivating and empowering others.

Nomination letters should illustrate the individual’s achievements in one or more of the following areas:

• Demonstrating sustained and exemplary support for University administration and / or teaching and research endeavours,
• Being highly regarded by colleagues, staff, students, faculty members, and senior administration,
• Contributing regularly to the success of institutional initiatives,
• Creating intentional opportunities to include diverse voices, mentor colleagues, and inspire others,
• Communicating a vision and commitment to new and innovative initiatives,
• Fostering an inclusive workplace and embedding equitable practices and processes into projects and initiatives,
• Leading a group or pan-University project that has made a significant, sustained contribution and that exemplifies the University’s principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion, and / or
• Demonstrating achievements in support of the University’s mission, vision, and strategic objectives.

Nominees for this category cannot be a past recipient of a Chancellor’s Leadership Award – Influential Leader.

The deadline for submitting has been extended to Friday, December 20, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. (EST).

Yes.

A complete nomination package for the Chancellor’s Leadership Award must include the following:

• the completed nomination form, available on the True Blue Recognition Platform,
• an executive summary highlighting the nominee's most significant contributions, accomplishments, and impact related to the award criteria (minimum 200 words, maximum 300 words)
  • The University may publish the summary of successful nominees
  • An editor will review and revise your submitted text to ensure consistency among recipients
  • The nominee will have the opportunity to review and approve the final text
• a cover letter from the lead nominator (e.g., nominee’s supervisor), and
• two letters of support from colleagues / peers / students.
  • Please note: a letter of support signed by multiple individuals counts as one letter towards the total.
  • If the nomination and letters of support are not submitted by the nominee’s supervisor, an additional letter from the nominee’s supervisor or the Division Head endorsing the nomination is required.

In nomination and supporting letters for a Chancellor’s Leadership Award, nominators must identify, as specifically as possible, how the candidate has consistently exceeded the expectations of their position.

Nominations should illustrate how the individual demonstrates leadership at the University within and beyond their job’s key responsibilities. The nominee’s personal attributes, achievements, and output should reflect this sense of purpose and dedication.

Letters should specifically address and illustrate one or more of the above selection criteria and should also indicate the following:

• innovation displayed by the nominee,
• the nominee’s distinction and / or dedication to their Faculty, division, or the University more broadly,
• the level of responsibility related to the scope of accomplishments by the nominee, and
• the nominee’s dedication to advancing the University’s principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Each nomination and supporting letter should not exceed three pages in length. Refer to the guide on  “How to Write an Impactful Award Nomination” for additional details.

No, please do not submit more than the required number of documents / letters. The Selection Committee will not consider supplementary documents. 

Please submit applications electronically through the True Blue Recognition Platform. The Employee Recognition & Engagement Team of the Division of People Strategy, Equity & Culture will administer the selection process for this award on behalf of the University of Toronto Alumni Association (UTAA).

All letters of support are confidential; only the members of the Selection Committee will view them. Those who wish to view the letters for publicity or information purposes must first obtain permission from the individual(s) who wrote the letter. Once submitted, all application / nomination materials become the property of the Division of People Strategy, Equity & Culture and cannot be returned to the nominator or the applicant.

The Selection Committee, chaired by the Vice-President, People Strategy, Equity & Culture or their designate, will include:

• The Assistant Vice-President, University Human Resources or their designate,
• Request for participation from the VP Portfolios or a designate at the CAO (or equivalent) level, and
• At least one representative from the Institutional Equity Offices within the Division of People Strategy, Equity & Culture.

The committee will meet in Winter 2025 to select the 2025 recipients of the Chancellor’s Leadership Award in each category.

Members of the Selection Committee will review the nomination packages and the award criteria in advance of the meeting date. Committee members will discuss each nomination package and select the recipient(s) at the meeting.

The Selection Committee is empowered to recognize multiple recipients in any award category. Successful recipients will be chosen based on the application and the demonstrated impact of the nominee. The Selection Committee can also choose not to present the award or an award category.

We expect to inform all nominators and success nominees of the adjudication results in February 2025.

Please contact the Employee Recognition & Engagement Team if you have questions about the program or need assistance developing your nomination.

Learn more about other staff recognition programs at U of T through our Recognition Scaffold.