The first honorees in a new employee recognition program, the UConn Spirit Awards, received their awards at a ceremony March 4.

The event marked the start of what is intended to be an annual tradition of recognizing the efforts of employees, especially staff; building community; and promoting civility.

The Spirit Awards are the result of a survey conducted by the Something’s Happening Committee, which found a significant correlation between supportive interactions among colleagues and productivity on the job.

“When our community is characterized by civility, mutual respect, and camaraderie, it creates an environment in which all of us do our jobs better,” said President Susan Herbst, who presented the awards. “That creates dividends not just here at UConn, but for the students we’re preparing to take their place in the world, and for all the people we interact with outside of campus.”

This year’s winners were:

Rising Star Award: Ashley Hazelton, Office of Community Outreach
Unsung Hero Award: Inda Watrous, Department of English
Team Award: CHIP administrative team: Kelsey Barton-Henry, Josh Hardin, Lynne Hendrickson, Susan Hoge, Beth Krane, Lisa McDevitt, Kathy Moriarty, Melissa Stone, Chris Tarricone, and AnnMarie White
Peer Award: Karen DeMeola, assistant dean of students at UConn Law