Award Descriptions

 Distinguished Service Award:  This recognition is designed to pay the highest chapter tribute to an experienced Extension professional who has consistently exhibited continuing leadership and excellence in Extension program planning, delivery, evaluation, in program and/or administration over a career of 20 or more years.  Data supporting measurable impacts of the candidate’s work in meeting needs of clientele will strengthen the nomination.

 Friend of Extension Award:  This is the highest recognition presented by Epsilon Sigma Phi chapter to a non-Extension (lay) person.  This award is designed to recognize truly outstanding support and personal involvement in Extension efforts.

 Continued Excellence Recognition Award:  This gives recognition to an experienced Extension professional with twenty-plus years of experience who has exhibited continued leadership, initiative, and excellence in Extension program planning, delivery, evaluation in program or administration, on a state, regional and/or national level in the years after receiving the state Distinguished Service Award.   Data supporting measurable impacts of the candidate's work in meeting the needs of clientele will strengthen the nomination.  An Extension professional will be come eligible for this recognition after five years of receiving the Chapter Distinguished Service Award.

 Mid-Career Service Award:  This recognition is designed to pay tribute to an experienced Extension professional (with 10-20 years of service) who has exhibited continuing leadership and excellence in state Extension program planning, delivery, evaluation in program and/or administration.

 Early Career Service Award:  This award is designed to recognize the achievements of rising young professionals who have shown noteworthy enthusiasm, performance, and accomplishment during the early Extension careers (less than 10 years) in program design and delivery.

 Administrative Leadership Recognition Award:  This gives recognition to an Extension Professional who has shown noteworthy administrative enthusiasm, performance, and accomplishment during their Extension careers (10 years or more).  Administrative leadership may be at county, regional, Chapter, program, department, or national level. Documentation of the candidate's work in meeting the needs and furthering the efforts of supervised faculty, staff and/or program should be primary in this recognition.

 Retiree Service Award:  This award is designed to recognize continuing contributions and outstanding service by retired Extension professionals.

 Tenure 25, 30, 40 Year Award:  This recognition is for 25, 30, and 40 years of Extension service, excluding other governmental (Civil Service) employment and military service time.   (These are recognized through the USDA tenure recognition which is also available to Extension employees.)  Recipients must be current ESP members.

 Diversity/Multicultural Recognition Award:  Each year this recognition may be presented to one team and one individual whose innovative programming reinforces Extension's commitment to achieving diversity/multicultural programming with audiences and the organization.  The program initiative description should address significant diversity/multicultural issues in relation to current state and national initiatives over a period of more than one year.  The program should make innovative efforts to attract and reach diverse and/or multicultural audiences, demonstrate collaboration, and utilize creative and unique strategies to market or publicize the program to reach diverse and/or targeted audiences.  This recognition is for programs which go above and beyond affirmative action program requirements, and demonstrate potential for replication by others.  The team nomination should include all staff (full- time and part-time academic professional and classified) that had a primary role in planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating the program.  The diversity/multicultural program must have been implemented in the past three years.  At least 50% of team members eligible for ESP Membership must be current ESP members.

 Chapter International Service Award:  This recognition is available to Epsilon Sigma Phi members who have contributed significantly to the development and/or expansion of an Extension program in another country or countries through in-state and/or overseas work.

 Team Award:  This state/chapter award is designed to recognize outstanding efforts on the part of a team of Extension staff in responding to and incorporating into a specific educational program one or more of the National Initiatives identified by the Cooperative Extension System.  At least 50% of team members eligible for ESP membership must be current members.

 Meritorious Support Service Award:  pays tribute to staff that have shown support for the mission, program, and professional staff of Cooperative Extension. Such persons include secretaries, program assistants, camp directors, motor pool managers, public distribution clerks, print shop operators, budget analysts, computer operators and others.  Several recognitions can be presented each year.

 Visionary Leadership Award:  This recognition is designed to recognize Extension professionals whose significant accomplishments have resulted in leading Extension forward in new directions. This person's visionary leadership enabled Extension to anticipate a significant new opportunity and developed support to implement program organizational changes necessary to achieve success.