Durham, NC - Do you know faculty or staff members who take special care to value differing backgrounds and points of view? Have you worked with a team that emphasized collaboration and communication and advanced Duke's mission? 

It's time to nominate these Duke University and Duke University Health System employees for the Diversity Award or Teamwork Award, annual awards that recognize faculty and staff who exemplify diversity and teamwork, two of Duke's Guiding Principles. 

"We have employees who live these principles day in and day out but sometimes don't get any visibility beyond their immediate colleagues," said Kyle Cavanaugh, vice president for administration. "These awards offer an opportunity to give them the wider recognition they deserve."

The deadline to submit nominations for 2012 is Sept. 14, and winners and nominators will be honored at a luncheon with President Richard H. Brodhead and Chancellor for Health Affairs Victor J. Dzau in November.

As always, Duke will select one winner from the University and one winner from the Health System for each of the Teamwork and Diversity awards. Even if a nominee does not win the award, he or she will receive a presentation-quality binder with nominations and letters of recommendation.

"The simple act of nominating someone is a powerful message of recognition," said Denise Evans, director of staff and family programs, which helps coordinate the program. "We know that people appreciate it when their colleagues publicly recognize and recommend their work."

Last year's Teamwork Award for the university went to the Arts & Sciences Course Renumbering Team, a group of seven faculty and staff. They spent two years standardizing how Duke numbers 8,000 academic courses to indicate course levels and sequences. The project required working with Arts & Sciences, the Nicholas School of the Environment, the Sanford School of Public Policy, the Pratt School of Engineering and the Graduate School.

The project involved much more than organizing numbers and sequences, according to Lee D. Baker, associate vice provost for undergraduate education, who nominated the team. The project involved thinking critically and carefully about course offerings to provide greater coherency and logic to Duke's undergraduate curriculum.

"It was an enormous project," Baker said. "Our colleagues created multiple networks of collaboration that were indispensible for getting the job done, and getting it done well." 

The team that worked on the renumbering project received a $1,000 award.

Ingeborg Walther, leader of the project, said her team used the money to host a celebration to thank numerous other staff involved in the effort.

"Many people worked with a good deal of patience, support and grace on this complex project," said Walther, associate dean for curriculum and course development. "It was good to share the recognition."

Forms, eligibility requirements and instructions for nominations are available at hr.duke.edu/awards.