• Section 1 - Purpose
• Scope
• Section 2 - Policy
• Section 3 - Procedures
• Management and administration of faculty prizes
• Proposing and approving a prize
• Eligibility criteria
• Awarding prizes
• Issuing or presenting prizes
• Termination or revocation
• Appeals and complaints
• Section 4 - Guidelines
• Section 5 - Glossary

Section 1 - Purpose

(1) This procedure supports the Prizes, Scholarships and Grants Policy by providing a details to ensure that faculty prizes are managed and awarded consistently across each faculty. 

Scope

(2) This procedure applies to prizes that are managed and awarded by the faculties of Charles Sturt University (the University).

Section 2 - Policy

(3) See the Prizes, Scholarships and Grants Policy.

Section 3 - Procedures

Management and administration of faculty prizes

(4) Each faculty may establish prizes to recognise a student’s achievement in:

1. a course
2. a stage or year of a course
3. a subject or group of subjects, and/or
4. workplace learning activities.

(5) Faculties will preferably manage and administer prizes only and should arrange for scholarships and grants to be managed and administered through Student Administration and/or Charles Sturt University Foundation Trust where relevant.

(6) All donations to establish a prize, scholarship or grant will be recorded in the University's system for recording donors and donations. 

(7) Where a donor may be willing to fund a scholarship, the faculty will hand over discussions with the donor to the Advancement Office.

(8) All faculties will register and administer their prizes through a common system to:

1. enable authorisations and approvals
2. update the information on the university website, and
3. ensure the prize details are captured on the recipient’s record in Banner.

(9) Only prizes that are awarded for academic merit and approved by the relevant approval authority may be identified in Banner for inclusion on the student’s Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS).

Proposing and approving a prize

(10) The executive dean of the faculty, or their delegate, has the authority to approve:

1. a new faculty prize to be managed and administered by the faculty
2. changes to an existing faculty prize, and
3. eligibility criteria consistent with the Prizes, Scholarships and Grants Policy and this procedure.

(11) When approving a new prize or changes to an existing prize, the executive dean or their delegate should consider whether the prize:

1. is an adequate recognition of student achievement
2. has a monetary value adequate to support the proposed purpose
3. will provide sufficient benefit to be worth the cost of administering, and
4. is awarded based on academic merit if inclusion on the AHEGS is proposed.

(12) A proposal to establish a faculty prize must state:

1. the name of the prize
2. the purpose (must be achievement-based)
3. the eligibility and criteria
4. the process and decision-makers for awarding the prize
5. which unit will administer it
6. how it will be administered
7. the financial value and funding period (a minimum of a three year commitment)
8. how it will be funded
9. how it will be issued
10. whether it is academically related and qualifies for inclusion on the AHEGS, and
11. any other donor expectations.

(13) Where the eligibility or criteria states that the prize is for a particular stage or year of a course, detail on how this is calculated should be included in the prize proposal.

Eligibility criteria

(14) A faculty prize will generally only be awarded to a student where:

1. the grades that contributed to meeting the prize eligibility criteria were gained in subjects undertaken at the University, and
2. the student met the eligibility criteria on their first attempt of the subject or subjects (not in repeated attempts).

(15) Other eligibility criteria and information will be published on the University website.

Awarding prizes

(16) Where a faculty prize is determined only on students’ grade point average (GPA) or grade(s), and two or more eligible students have the same GPA or relevant grade(s), the relevant faculty school may seek approval from the donor to:

1. award the prize to the student with the better academic record overall
2. increase the value or quantity of the prize for that year so that both students can receive the whole prize
3. supplement the value or quantity of the prize for that year so that both students can receive the whole prize, or
4. split the prize between the students where this is possible.

(17) With the approval of the donor, the executive dean or delegate may approve the award of a faculty prize to a student who does not meet all of the approved or published criteria, or on the basis of additional criteria, provided that the decision is consistent with the overall intention of the prize.

(18) An executive dean or delegate may approve a proposal that allows an external body to decide the award of a prize. In these cases, each time the prize is to be awarded the faculty will prepare a shortlist of prize candidates for the external body.

Issuing or presenting prizes

(19) Once the award of a faculty prize has been decided, the faculty operations team of the faculty will:

1. notify the recipient and the donor of the result
2. notify relevant faculty and school staff of the result
3. arrange to collect the prize money or non-monetary prize from the donor, and
4. advise all parties how the prize will be issued or presented to the recipient.

(20) A donor may require that a prize be awarded at a function organised by the donor. Where the faculty agrees to this, the faculty operations team will notify the recipient and donor of the result, but the donor will invite the recipient to the function.

(21) Prize certificates will be prepared by Student Administration and the faculty operations team.

(22) The Conferral and Graduation Policy and the Prizes, Scholarships and Grants Policy state that only prizes where the eligibility is restricted to graduating students can be presented at graduation ceremonies or recognised in the graduation program. 

Termination or revocation

(23) A faculty prize may be terminated or revoked as stated in the Prizes, Scholarships and Grants Policy.

Appeals and complaints

(24) There is no review or appeals process for faculty prize decisions. Where a student believes that the policy or procedure have not been followed, they may have grounds for a complaint as stated in the Complaints Management Policy.

Section 4 - Guidelines

(25) Nil.

Section 5 - Glossary

(26) This procedure uses terms defined in the Prizes, Scholarships and Grants Policy.