2025-2026 Program Overview
Purpose and Goals
The Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence (CCE) seeks to recognize members of the University community who have made invaluable contributions to Syracuse University in two overarching ways: (1) through commitment to scholarship, creative work, and/or research that contributes to new understandings of the world and creative responses to its needs and (2) through advancing the four pillars that Chancellor Kent Syverud has identified to foster excellence at Syracuse University. Those four pillars of excellence are:
- Providing an outstanding undergraduate experience,
- Empowering research excellence,
- Fostering change and innovation, and
- Positioning Syracuse as the best university in the world for veterans.
Award Categories
Each year, the CCE is given in four categories:
| Category | Recipient | Description | Award Selection Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|
| Award for Faculty Excellence and Scholarly Distinction | Faculty members (2) | This award is for faculty who are collaborators on or creators of work of intellectual richness that has the potential for future impact. Such work should offer possibilities for collaboration and engagement within the University and/or in partnership with others. | • Commitment to scholarship, research, or creative work that offers new understandings of the world • Evidence of advancing the Chancellor’s four pillars of excellence • Potential impact of research, creative work, or scholarship • Potential for collaboration and engagement around research or creative work within the University and/or in partnership with others • Commitment to University mission: academic excellence in a campus welcoming to all |
| Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Student Experience and University Initiatives | Faculty member (1) Professional staff (1) Support staff (1) | This award is given to University faculty and staff who, through their work, have enhanced the student experience or made invaluable contributions to supporting and advancing the University’s mission and goals. | • Evidence of advancing the Chancellor’s four pillars of excellence • Evidence of enhancing the student experience OR supporting and advancing the University’s mission and goals • Commitment to University mission: academic excellence in a campus welcoming to all |
| Award for Excellence in Student Research | Graduate student (1) Undergraduate student (1) | This award is for students who have, during their time at Syracuse, engaged in research, scholarship, or creative work that has the potential to make a deep and lasting impact on society. | • Evidence of advancing the Chancellor’s four pillars of excellence • Evidence of strong scholarship, research, or creative work that offers new understandings of the world • Future impact potential of research or creative work • Commitment to University mission: academic excellence in a campus welcoming to all |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Faculty member (1) | This award honors a faculty member who has made extraordinary contributions toward broadly advancing the Chancellor’s four pillars of excellence over the arc of their careers at the University and beyond. | • Evidence of advancing the Chancellor’s four pillars of excellence • Cumulative excellence • Commitment to University mission: academic excellence in a campus welcoming to all |
Award recipients each receive a special art object created by a faculty member in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, together with a citation statement recognizing their accomplishments.
Nomination Process
For faculty and staff awards, nominations may be made by members of the University community, including alumni. For student awards, the nomination must be submitted by a faculty member. Individuals may not self-nominate.
The complete nomination includes the following four items combined (in order) into a single PDF:
- Coversheet: A fillable form found on the Office of Academic Affairs website
- Formal nomination letter (no more than three pages) that includes:
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- A short description of the nominee’s work and accomplishments (a link to the nominee’s professional website may be included as supporting evidence)
- A discussion of the nominee and their work in relation to the selection criteria for the appropriate award category (see table above)
NOTE: Nominations of support staff may include a brief video, in place of a nomination letter, describing how the nominee’s work and accomplishments address the CCE’s overall purpose and the relevant award category.
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- A short curriculum vitae for faculty, a resume or biography for staff, or a resume for students
- Supporting materials (maximum of 25 pages) that display or exemplify the nominee’s work, such as summaries of the impact of a nominee’s creative work, research, or scholarship, awards, letters of endorsement, or a personal statement
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NOTE: For nominations of support staff, a brief video of their work and how it contributes to the student experience and/or the University’s mission and goals and/or video testimonial from the nominee’s supervisor may be submitted.
It is preferred that an individual be nominated by one person or by multiple people signing one nomination letter. Nominators are encouraged to collaborate with colleagues on the submission.
Nominations are due Friday, December 5, 2025. Please email the nomination as one PDF to Amanda Latreille, Faculty Affairs Specialist, at arlatrei@syr.edu (subject: CCE nomination).
Selection Process and Recognition
The CCE Review Committee, composed of Syracuse University faculty members, staff, and students, is responsible for recommending candidates for the award. The committee reviews nominations and submits a recommendation report in February. The Chancellor makes the final selection, and the award is presented at the One University Awards Ceremony in April.
Past Recipients of the Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence
Questions?
Please contact Amanda Latreille at arlatrei@syr.edu or 315-443-5413.