SLA Biomedical and Life Sciences Division

DBIO Procedures Manual - Awards Committee

Function: The Awards Committee currently administers two awards: 1)Distinguished Member Award (DMA), established in 1996; and 2)Winifred Sewell Prize (WSP), established in 1999. The committee identifies DBIO members for association level awards and prepares nomination packets for the Division Chair to forward to the SLA Awards Committee following Executive Board approval.

Qualifications: The Chair and committee members must be members, associate members, or retired members of the Association as well as members of the Biomedical and Life Sciences Division.

Appointments: The term of appointment is two years, renewable once.

Duties:
  1. Write two articles for Biofeedback and the Email Discussion List soliciting nominations for the DMA and WSP.
  2. Receive nominations and, after the deadline for nominations, evaluate the nominees according to the committee's evaluation criteria for the DMA and WSP. This must be done by April 1st.
  3. Arrange for certificates for the DMA, WSP, and any other DBIO members the chair designates for recognition that year.
  4. Beginning in 2013, the WSP and DMA recipients will also each receive a $250 check. (Proposed by Tony Stankus, Chair of the Awards Committee, on February 24, 2012, during the DBIO Board Conference Call Meeting. No Board vote was required for this change.)
  5. Prepare citations for awards that Division Chair will read at Annual Business Meeting.
  6. Provide copies of citations for awardees.
  7. Notify Division Chair of awardees. (Division Chair will contact WSP recipient, arrange for free 1 day registration to SLA and for ticket for recipient to the Annual Business Meeting breakfast.)
  8. Write award recipients' employers announcing the award. Send letters June 1.
  9. Prepare items for the Membership Column of Information Outlook on award/prize recipients.
  10. Notify award/prize recipients' home chapters of their awards.
  11. Write a final Biofeedback article after the annual meeting in order to mention all awardees and to thank committee members.
  12. To review the appropriate sections of the Procedures Manual in February and submit corrections, revisions, and so forth to the Director for inclusion in the next edition.

Reports: An annual report is submitted to the Division Chair in accepted format by April 1 or another mutually agreed upon date.

Records: Outgoing officers and committee chairs shall send the files which they used during their tenure to their successors at the end of their terms of office, along with their copy of the Procedures Manual. All files they received the year earlier (from predecessor) should be reviewed as to the usefulness for archival retention (see information on retention in the Archivist section). Files include, but are not limited to, important correspondence, fax, e-mail, and summaries of verbal communications deemed important to the business of the Division. The officers and committee chairs may keep copies of any relevant materials but original materials should be transmitted to the DBIO Archivist on the regular schedule. In addition the Awards Chair should keep copies of all letters to the awardees on file, copies of all Biofeedback articles, and all correspondence from SLA headquarters agreeing to waive registration.

Expenses: The Division will provide funding for expenses including postage and telephone calls if not borne by the incumbent's organization. Other expenses will be approved by the Division's Executive Board. Expenses incurred for organization business will be paid in accordance with SLA guidelines. All expenses must be submitted with a Committee Expenses Form or a Travel Voucher form and be accompanied by the original receipts for reimbursement. Direct payment of bills can be made if the bill is accompanied by a Committee Expenses Form or a Check Request and Payment Approval Form. Advances for expenses may be obtained from the Division's Treasurer. Requests for advances should be made in writing and include an estimate for each item. A final report of expenses for reimbursement shall be filed with the Treasurer prior to or at the annual business meeting.

Rev. April 2000, J. Perez; March 2012, April 2014