Established in honour of former Vice President Finance and Administration Phyllis Clark, the award recognizes a York employee who has made outstanding contributions to the University in terms of efficiency, cleanliness, safety, security or other campus/plant services.
The winner will receive a small commemorative plaque, have their name engraved on the award display in Vari Hall, and be recognized on an annual plaque that will be showcased in the winner’s home department for one year.
Criteria
- Nominee demonstrates a performance record that consistently exceeds the stated expectations in their job description and is actively engaged in the workplace
- Nominee serves as a positive role model to their co-workers
- Nominee demonstrates excellence in service to the York community
- Nominee enhances a sense of community through improvements in one of the campus or planned service areas in a manner that creates a sustained positive image of York University
- Preference will be given to a staff member in a front-line service role
Eligibility
- Nominee is a full time, permanent staff member at York
- Nominee has been continuously employed for two (2) years as of December 31, 2025
- Nominee is a non-academic staff member (YUSA, CPM, CUPE 1356, IOUE)
Nomination File Requirements
The Chief Nominator is responsible for putting together a nomination file that consists of:
- Three Letters (3) Maximum
- One (1) lead nomination letter from the chief nominator
- Two (2) letters of support
- Employment Background
- The nominee's C.V. or work history at York University
- The job description of the nominee's current position
Please feel free to download this checklist to help you compile the nomination file and ensure that you have met all of the requirements before completing the online nomination form. NOTE: This checklist does not need to be uploaded with the nomination form and is for your reference only.
Nomination Guidelines
- One (1) of the letters must be from the nominee’s current Manager
- The chief nominator and one supporting nominator, OR two (2) of the supporting nominators must be from outside of the nominee’s home department
- Each letter is from an individual author (multiple authors on a letter are not permitted
- Self-nominations are not permitted
Letter Formatting and Content Guidelines
- Each letter does not exceed a total of three (3) pages, and the total number of pages of ALL letters combined does not exceed nine (9) pages
- Specific examples are used to describe how the nominee:
- Contributes to the goals and objectives of their office, division and/or the broader York Community
- Meets or exceeds each of the award criteria
- Quotations from other persons are not permitted
- No acronyms are used in the letter
- Do not include any references or confidential documents such as employee performance ratings or evaluations
Excellence is everywhere at York. We encourage you to consider nominating someone from outside your home department.
The deadline for submitting a nomination is February 19, 2026