True Trojan Nominations

True Trojan Nomination and Selection Procedures

Dakota State University Staff, Students, and Faculty may nominate employees for any of the award Categories. Nominations must include name and e-mail of the nominee and the nominator, the specific Award category and supporting information on the nominee/s.

The Awards Selection Committee, appointed by the University, will be comprised of the Vice President for Human Resources and previous True Trojan award winners. The committee will review the nominations and recommend that an award be given to the outstanding employee(s) for each Award category.

The Awards Selection Committee, may, at their discretion, transfer a nominee from the category they were originally nominated to another category for which they are more qualified.

Nominations for the 2024 True Trojan Awards must be submitted by May 10, 2024.

Cabinet members are not eligible to receive individual awards; however, they can be part of the Team of the Year award.

True Trojan Nomination Form

True Trojan Hexagon Awards

CSA Outstanding Contributor – established in 2019, this award recognizes a dedicated focus to customer service, commitment to quality improvement, outstanding skills and abilities, teamwork, and professionalism.  They enhance the quality of work life for colleagues. 

• Provides outstanding and ongoing service to university stakeholders.
• Develops creative solutions to increase department or university operations.
• Fills in when and wherever needed and always performs at a high level.
• Takes initiative to solve problems and improve work situations without being prompted.
• Demonstrates reliability, perseverance, and a focus on results.
• Helps others by sharing knowledge.

NFE Outstanding Contributor - established in 2019, this award recognizes a dedicated focus to customer service, commitment to quality improvement, outstanding skills and abilities, teamwork, and professionalism.

• Enhancing the quality of work life for colleagues or customers
• Providing outstanding and ongoing service to university stakeholders
• Developing creative solutions to increase department or university operations.
• Fill in when and wherever needed and always performs at a high level.
• Take initiative to solve problems and improve work situations without being prompted.
• Demonstrate reliability, perseverance, and a focus on results.
• Help others by sharing knowledge.

Team of the Year – established in 2019, this award recognizes a team that exemplifies collaboration, cooperation, communication, trust, and respect.  The team inspires and works towards a bold vision for success at DSU.

• Takes the initiative to improve value and efficiency of the services they provide.
• Embraces change as an opportunity for growth and innovation.
• Has demonstrated excellent, creative teamwork in improving the management of their more routine tasks and duties.
• Build effective collaborative relationships across different work units, groups, or departments.
• Produce a measurable positive impact on the advancement of the university mission and strategic plan goals, beyond the expectations of team members' regular position requirements.
• Approach the team project in an innovative way that departs from "business as usual."

Examples include delivering exceptional customer service, cost savings, time savings, creative ideas, maintaining high safety records, combining talents of traditionally separate units, and actively demonstrating by example a willingness to encourage teamwork in the workplace.

Staff Outstanding Contributor – (nominated by students) established in 2019, this student nominated award recognizes both NFE and CSA staff members who contribute in significant ways to the quality of life for our students and is committed to student success. 

• Fosters positive environments, facilitates communication, and promotes improved student achievement.
• Participation in student-centered university activities 
• Promotes academic and personal student development. 
• Delivers support and guidance to students. 
• Approachable and accessible demeanor to students.

Faculty Outstanding Contributor – (nominated by students) established in 2019, this student nominated award recognizes faculties commitment to student success.  Faculty members are the core of DSU as they mentor, inspire, and teach students, contribute to research and creative activity.  In a university environment the importance of faculty leadership is vital. Faculty leaders have a transforming impact on programs and departments and often account for the difference between a good program and an excellent program.

• Offers students, a personally and intellectually rewarding co-curricular and extracurricular learning experience “beyond the classroom”.
• Seeks to ensure that students feel like valued members of the University community.
• Dedicated to students’ academic success and engagement in the campus community.
• Skilled in promoting the understanding of what it takes to be successful in college.
• Committed to helping DSU students discover and achieve their individual educational goals.

Emerging Leader – established in 2023, this award recognizes an employee with fewer than five years of service to DSU, who has made a unique, significant contribution not only to embracing the spirit of the university, but also providing superb service and fostering interdepartmental relationships. 

• Shows signs of strength, integrity, and continuous improvement professionally and personally.
• Goes above and beyond by showing exceptional initiative, perseverance, accountability, or commitment in meeting or exceeding constituents' needs.
• Identified, developed, and implemented a flexible, proactive resolution to meet a need or solve a problem, thereby advancing collaboration and University productivity.
• Creates a work environment that promoted extraordinary teamwork and results in superior work performance.

Outstanding Leadership - established in 2023, this award recognizes an employee who embodies exceptional leadership by building community, nurturing a culture of care and support, exhibiting strong stewardship of institutional resources (time, talent, financial, etc.) and developing a shared vision of institutional excellence that allows everyone to feel they have a purpose in the organization.  Outstanding leadership does not mean the employee must supervise others.

• Participates on committees, as part of project teams, or through peer training and mentorship.
• Consistently seeks to improve operations while focusing on the experience of students, staff, faculty, and University friends.
• Demonstrates emotional intelligence, integrity, resilience, and flexibility.

• Demonstrates a compassion for the betterment of others.
• Understands and manages work assignments from a holistic point of view and helps others recognize how their contributions are part of a larger whole.
• Builds and maintains a sense of community with colleagues within and across units by bringing people together for a common purpose.
• Provides others with a vision of institutional excellence that allows everyone to feel they have a purpose in the organization.