Nomination Guidelines
Four awards will be given in the following categories: small, medium, and large businesses*; and a non-profit organization or public agency**.
Businesses/agencies may self-propose or be proposed by a third party. All potential nominators and nominees must agree to be interviewed by Auburn University Montgomery faculty and students.
Potential nominees will be screened by a nominations committee prior to the research process. Up to six official nominees in each category will be passed on to AUM faculty and students. From the list of official nominees, 12 finalists and 4 award recipients will be chosen by an independent selection committee using the research compiled by AUM faculty and students as a guide for their selections. The selection of the Maury D. Smith Award for Excellence in Professional Ethics award will be chosen by the Board of Directors of the Samartan Counseling Center. Official nominees, finalists, and award winners will be honored at an awards dinner.
To view the 2022 recipients, go to the Nominees & Recipients page here.
The following bullet points should be used as a guide in proposing a business or agency for an award. This list is not intended as a point by point, required list of traits for all potential nominees, but rather as a guide for one’s thinking in proposing a candidate.
- Engagement of employees in volunteerism and community service
- Breadth and depth of support for charitable and philanthropic causes that is effective and meaningful given the mission and purpose of the organization
- Emphasis on employee health and/or safety
- Promotion of diversity within the organization
- Support sustainable use of organizational resources through education, financial support, and operational innovation
- Longstanding history and general reputation in the marketplace for ethical business practices
- Demonstrated ethical practices in the buyer/seller relationship
- Tone at the top of the organization that reinforces the importance of ethics.
- A culture and strong internal controls that support compliance with laws and regulations.
- Strong ethics and conflict of interest policies and codes of conduct.
- Explicit set of core values that guide behavior.
- Effective risk management practices.
- Effective strategies to detect and prevent misconduct.
- Ethically responsive behavior once organizational mistakes have been discovered
