There are five (5) Universitywide Awards:
- Gloria White Award
- Emerging Leader Award
- Community Impact Award
- Safety Leadership Award
- Laboratory Safety Excellence Award
Nominations will close March 20, 2026 at 5 p.m.
Gloria White Award
The Gloria W. White Distinguished Service Award is the highest honor for the university and honors a staff member who goes beyond the daily work to make an impact on WashU. The award is meant to recognize staff who work from the heart to move the university forward by helping employees thrive through achieving our missions of education, research and patient care. Learn more about Gloria White.
The prize is a personalized engraved award and university-wide recognition.
- Full-time current non-academic employee* with five (5) years of continuous service
- Recipient must demonstrate capabilities that exceed job expectations, including:
- Strengthens the organization’s ability to promote learning;
- Helps to create a positive working and learning environment;
- Improves the community, both within and beyond WashU; and
- Enhances WashU’s reputation.
- In good standing with their department (verified by WashU’s Employee Relations department)
*Academic and non-academic staff members who are employed as union employees or contractors are not eligible for this award.
Emerging Leader Award
The Emerging Leader Award recognizes an employee who positively influences and lead others at the university, in their community and in their profession. This award acknowledges someone who listens to the feedback and concerns of employees, and displays a growth mindset and empowers their colleagues to develop and utilize their leadership skills and capabilities to better the university and St. Louis region.
The prize is a personalized engraved award and university-wide recognition.
- Full-time current non-academic employee* with three (3) years of continuous service
- Recipient must demonstrate capabilities that exceed job expectations, including:
- Positively influences others at WashU and within their own community;
- Leads by example and empowers others through outstanding leadership skills;
- Commitment to learning & growth opportunities for themselves and their colleagues
- In good standing with their department (verified by WashU’s Employee Relations department)
*Academic and non-academic staff members who are employed as union employees or contractors are not eligible for this award.
Community Impact Award
The Community Impact Award recognizes an employee who establishes and sustains mutually enhancing relationships that elevate both WashU and the greater St. Louis community. This employee creates a more equitable and sustainable environment within their sphere of influence.
The prize is a personalized engraved award and university-wide recognition.
- Full-time current non-academic employee* with three (3) years of continuous service
- Recipient must demonstrate capabilities that exceed job expectations, including:
- Positively influences the impact and growth of people both within the university and larger St. Louis region;
- Establishes and maintains collaboration relationships both within the university and larger St. Louis region.
- In good standing with their department (verified by WashU’s Employee Relations department)
*Academic and non-academic staff members who are employed as union employees or contractors are not eligible for this award.
Safety Leadership Award
The Staff Safety Leadership award recognizes a staff member who has taken notable actions to prevent injury or illness within the WashU community, demonstrating a positive impact on safety within their area. It honors someone who has achieved exceptional engagement and initiative in safety, actively partnering with supporting departments to recognize unsafe conditions and implement improvements beyond minimal suggestions.
The prize is a personalized engraved award and university-wide recognition.
- Full-time current non-academic employee* with three (3) years of continuous service
- Recipient must demonstrate capabilities that exceed job expectations, including:
- Innovative and outstanding performance in safety practices
- Has created/implemented actions that significantly enhance safety standards and culture within their department
- Displayed improvements that are not widely practiced across the university.
- In good standing with their department (verified by WashU’s Employee Relations department)
- Reviewed eligibility by WashU’s Environmental, Health, and Safety committee
*Academic and non-academic staff members who are employed as union employees or contractors are not eligible for this award.
Laboratory Safety Excellence Award
The Laboratory Safety Excellence award recognizes a lab that shows exemplary commitment to and innovation in laboratory safety.
The prize includes university-wide recognition.
- Qualify as a top safety performer by achieving a score above 90-95 out of 100 on their most recent audit/inspection
- Innovation must show a detailed improvement before and after implementation. Changes must have occurred in the last fiscal year
- Must show improvement in the safety of lab operations and compliance with existing EHS or Governmental guidelines
- Examples of Innovative Ideas
- Created a new best practice or procedure that has enhanced safety within the lab or fostered a greater safety culture.
- Led the implementation of additional training, testing, drills, internal audits/inspections, or studies beyond existing EHS and governmental requirements.
- Reorganized physical lab space or resources—such as workstations, equipment, HazMat storage, disposal areas, emergency devices (eye wash, showers, etc.), and break areas—to improve safety.
- Established partnerships or collaborations between existing labs or departments to share information, materials, or resources, creating a safety network based on common spaces, resources, materials, or shared issues and risks.
- Acquired and implemented new or innovative technology, equipment, or materials that are not widely used or have novel applications, enhancing overall safety or regulatory compliance.