The 2023 Staff Awards nomination process is now open! Please take the time to recognize your colleagues for their significant contributions to UMKC. This year we will award individuals who have been supporting the strategic values and we will continue awarding the Living the Values award to staff members across campus.

Nominations may come from staff, faculty, and students. All nominations will be reviewed by a committee of members from across campus. These awards will be presented to staff at the annual Staff Awards event in the spring.

List of Awards and Descriptions

Campus Awards:
The following awards will each be presented to one individual who best exhibits the qualifications outlined in the award description.

• Excellence in Student Success Staff Award
• Excellence in Research and Creative Works Staff Award
• Excellence in Engagement and Outreach Staff Award
• Excellence in Multiculturalism, Globalism, Diversity and Inclusion Staff Award
• Excellence in Planning, Operations and Stewardship Staff Award
• Chancellor’s Staff Award for Extraordinary Contributions
• Rising Star Staff Award
• Staff Council Dedication Award

Living the Values Staff Award:
The Living the Values Staff Award will be awarded to staff members from across campus. The campus has been divided by college, school, or division or into a group and each group will have their own nomination and selection process. More information about this process will be sent out to individuals by their unit.

• Living the Value Staff Award (multiple awards across campus)

Deadline for submission of nomination materials for campus awards is January 31, 2023. The nomination form and details for all the awards are available at www.umkc.edu/hr/staffawards.

If you have any questions regarding Staff Awards, please email umkchr@umkc.edu

At UMKC, we’re challenging ourselves to be a part of the solution – saving money on gas, improving air quality in the Kansas City area, and showing leaders that the Kansas City area cares about sustainable transportation by exploring greener ways of commuting during the 2022 Green Commute Challenge, presented by RideshareKC at the Mid-America Regional Council.

We’re competing against other employer, university, and community teams to see who can take the most sustainable commutes to work between Sept. 19-Oct. 28th. There will be prizes from local Kansas City-area businesses for most trips logged, best social media, best team photo, and more!

Sign Up. Commute Sustainably. Log Trips. Win Prizes.

Starting Sept. 19, you can start logging sustainable commutes and tracking your impact!

IT’S SUPER EASY. All you have to do is create an account and start logging your commute trips on RideshareKC.org. Those who log miles will receive points – and become eligible for prizes provided by generous local businesses throughout the metro area. 

Trips can be logged on the mobile or desktop website or on the RideshareKC app. You can also connect your Strava, Garmin, Fitbit, or Under Armour account to automatically sync trips. Learn more about logging your trips here.

MEET THE MOMENT. There’s never been a better time to be a green commuter. Whether it’s walking, biking, taking the bus, carpooling, vanpooling, or even teleworking – let’s encourage each other to make an impact in our community.

We can do it! Register an account at RideshareKC.org and ‘Join Team’ today.

Contact Sarah Lauer at sarah.lauer@umkc.edu regarding any questions about joining the UMKC team. Contact info@ridesharekc.org or 816-842-7433 with any questions regarding the Green Commute Challenge.

Bring your family and join Chancellor and Sue Agrawal for a day at the Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead, 13800 Switzer Road, Overland Park, KS.

Employees can sign up for free tickets for themselves and their family members online here. You must sign up by end of the day Thursday, June 23^rd.

All tickets will be distributed at the farmstead between 9am and 10am on June 25^th. You must pick up your tickets during this time.

We hope you will join us!

Please email us at UMKCHR@umkc.edu if you have any questions.

Are you looking for ways to connect with other ROO employees around campus and you want to give your brain a breather from your everyday work tasks? Join the UMKC ROO Employee Engagement Book Club! We will be reading a variety of books related to work, happiness, and positivity,  topics are enjoyable all the time.

The book club will meet to discuss their first book beginning in June and we anticipate it will take around 2 months to get through the first book. The selected book will be provided to participants free of charge.

We have put together a survey for employees who are interested to gather contact information, as well as information to assist with planning. The survey will help us select a book and provide direction on how long the meetings should be and what times and days of the week work best. The survey is due by Friday, May 13, 2022.

Please email umkchr@umkc.edu if you have any questions, we look forward to having you join us!

Human Resources would like to share a new program with you – Roo Employee Engagement. The program includes a variety of events and resources. Events will focus on recognition, community building, development, family friendly events and more. We welcome you to visit the Roo Employee Engagement page, a new webpage to share upcoming engagement events for employees and resources for managers to engage their employees. Our hope is to continue creating a culture of care by supporting our community of faculty and staff through events that focus on employee development and having fun. We are kicking off this new program with an Employee Spirit Week, April 4^th-8^th, followed by Take your Child to Work Day on April 28^th. Details can be found below and on the webpage.

Employee Spirit Week – April 4^th – 8^th

Department Spirit Day – Monday, April 4th:

• Showcase your department’s UMKC spirit by decorating your department door! Door Decorations must be work appropriate, incorporate UMKC and what your department does. Submit a photo of the decorated door to umkchr@umkc.edu by 5pm on Monday, April 4th for the chance to win a prize. Additionally, units will be encouraged to do something fun together, such as enjoying a treat (donuts, bagels, cookies, ice cream, etc.) or spending an hour playing games.

Secret Cheerleader Day – Tuesday, April 5th:

• Let’s celebrate and cheer each other on. On Secret Cheerleader Day, employees will have the opportunity pass each other anonymous notes, complimenting excellent work. HR has designed some note templates that can be accessed through the HR website and printed out or sent electronically. Additionally, employees can stop by the Human Resources Office (Administrative Center, Room 226) to grab some pre-printed cards or reach out to their HRBP to find out if there is a pickup location in their CSD. Start thinking about who you want to recognize and let’s spend Tuesday, April 5th cheering on our co-workers!

Kangaroo Pantry Food Drive – Wednesday, April 6th:

• Help us feed those in need! Bring in donations for the UMKC Kangaroo Pantry. Most needed non-perishable food items include: canned meat – (chicken and tuna), Ramen Noodles, canned fruit, dry pasta, canned soup, peanut butter, breakfast items, granola bars. Submit a photo of your department’s donations, to umkchr@umkc.edu by 5pm on Thursday, April 7th for a chance to win a prize.

Kansas City Spirit Day – Thursday, April 7th:

• Let’s show our spirit by wearing attire representing one of the many great things that Kansas City has to offer! Do you have a t-shirt from your favorite BBQ place in town? What about one of those KC heart shirts from Charlie Hustle? Thursday is also the Royals Home Opener, support the boys in blue by wearing your favorite Royals attire.  Attire can include gear featuring Kansas City sports teams or any other KC themed clothing. The department that shows the most KC Spirit will when a yummy prize! Submit a group photo, showcasing your department’s KC Spirit, to umkchr@umkc.edu by 5pm on Thursday, April 7th.

Roo Blue Friday – Friday, April 8th:

• Wear your best Roo blue and gold on Friday to show your UMKC spirit! The department that shows the most Roo Blue Spirit will when a yummy prize! Submit a group photo, showcasing your department’s KC Spirit, to umkchr@umkc.edu by 5pm on Friday, April 8^th.

Take your Child to Work Day – April 28, 2022

• Employees will have the exciting opportunity to bring their child(ren) to UMKC for the day in celebration of national Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. Each child will be provided with a t-shirt and complementary lunch at the Atterbury Student Success Center cafeteria. The day’s schedule of events and activities will give your child(ren) a fun snapshot of UMKC and all of the amazing things our campus has to offer.

We hope you will continue to check out the website and find opportunities to engage with other employees at UMKC. Please contact Emily Strayhall at emilystrayhall@umkc.edu if you have any questions.