Nominator: Eleisha Barnett
I would like to nominate Teresa Rucker for a SPOT Award. She is hardworking, tries to learn everything within and without the scope of her work. She is great at looking for more efficient ways to do her job and makes viable suggestions for the library/archives process. She's always ready to pitch in where needed and represented the OSA well at an Archaeology Day camp we conducted in June.

Eleisha Barnett

Nominator: Melanie Riley

Dear SPOT Committee:

I would like to nominate Rob Flagg for the SPOT Award. Rob’s cheerful and personable demeanor belies his position as an IT person (or so the stereotype goes). He is a very fast learner and is always up for a challenge. I am very grateful for his help because issues get resolved quickly. This reflects on how much he has helped Mary, who has had more fires than time on many days.

Melanie Riley

Nominator: Lynn M. Alex
I nominate Cindy Peterson for an OSA Spot Award. Cindy is one of the most capable archaeologists I know. Her research initiatives are exceptional from start to finish. She identifies and secures grant funding, directs major, complex projects with large crews, takes a hands-on approach to analysis while cheerfully encouraging those assisting her, and writes remarkably interesting reports—an art in itself. Her individual research is detailed and comprehensive, and no aspect from the most rudimentary to the highly technical seems to challenge her capabilities. She is confident and proficient while at the same time courteous and cheerful to those who contribute to her projects, especially volunteers. Such thoughtfulness extends to landowners, collectors, and native descendants.

Cindy’s service on the State Preserves Advisory Board and her recent, highly commendable National Register nominations have directly resulted in the preservation of both archaeological and natural resources. These professional initiatives and her own personal demeanor and integrity have certainly advanced OSA’s mission to develop, disseminate, and preserve knowledge of Iowa’s human past and furthered OSA’s strategic plan goals 3-5.

Lynn M. Alex

OSA SPOT AWARD

“SPOT Awards” (referring to on-the-spot, or instant recognition of value) are a University of Iowa incentive program in which OSA participates. The goal is to have up to two eligible salaried and up to one eligible hourly (PZ05) staff members awarded each calendar quarter with awards announced at the respective monthly staff meeting (March, June, September, and December). OSA utilizes UI General Education Funds for SPOT Awards; eligible recipients may receive these awards (up to $75) only once per calendar year.

Awards are by nomination. Self-nominations are not permitted, but eligible staff may recruit a nominator. The committee members should not be recruited for this purpose and should generally refrain from serving as nominators during their term of service. Nominations can be submitted by anyone (UI or external) other than an immediate family member of the person being nominated. Nominations should be e-mailed to the committee chairperson by the date announced each quarter for this purpose. Nominations will be held in confidence by the committee. Nominations that result in awards will be shared at the OSA all-staff meeting when awards are announced. Recipients will receive a signed certificate from the Committee Chair and a copy will be added to their personnel folder. Names and photos of award winners will be added quarterly to this webpage and submitted to the editor of the Newsletter of the Iowa Archeological Society.

Nominations should identify the individual being nominated and describe in 50 to 100 words why the named person deserves the award. From the UI guidelines: “These awards are for exceptional performance which may include, but is not limited to, rewarding a variety of outcomes and behaviors. Examples include expanded scope of duties, completion of a major project, extraordinary performance, the development of significant new initiatives, cost savings, process improvement, or outreach and engagement” (emphasis in original). Identification of applicable OSA mission and strategic plan linkages (see http://www.uiowa.edu/~osa/index.html) will enhance the nomination. Nominations ranked highly by the committee but which are in excess of those selected in any given quarter may be saved by the committee for consideration during following calendar quarters. The committee may at its discretion weight differentially new vs. rollover nominations.