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Human Resources

CSU Fong & Fetterly Staff Award

Call for Nominations

California State University San Marcos invites staff to nominate themselves or a colleague for the prestigious Trustee Wenda Fong and Mr. Daniel Fetterly Staff Award for Outstanding Achievement. This CSU-wide recognition honors the extraordinary contributions of staff whose work advances student success and the mission of the CSU. Eligibility will be for demonstrated achievements that have occurred after January 1, 2026. Auxiliary staff will be included, as will MPP and confidential employees – with preference given to represented staff. We will be able to submit no more than two nominations for each of the following four awards: 

  • Affordability Advocate and Driver of Transformative Change ($25,000):  This award honors an individual whose efforts have a profound impact on making a CSU education affordable and accessible.
  • Fostering an Inclusive and Equitable Learning Environment ($25,000):  This award honors an individual that has dedicated themselves to student success while promoting equity and inclusion within the university community.
  • First Generation Belonging and Community ($25,000):  This award honors an individual whose work strengthens belonging, access and success for first-generation students by creating programs, services, systems, policies or campus environments that help them thrive. 
  • Trailblazing Team($25,000 split equally):  This award honors a team of no more than five individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and innovation advancing student success and the mission of the CSU. All members of the nominated team must individually meet the eligibility requirements for the Fong & Fetterly Staff Award.

 If you have any questions, please contact Human Resources at hr@csusm.edu. 

Application is Open
Submissions are being accepted through 5:00 p.m. PST on Friday, December 4, 2026.

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Resources 

Eligibility

All CSU staff members in good standing are eligible to participate, including state and auxiliary employees. Preference is given to represented employees, though MPP and confidential staff are also eligible. For the purposes of this award, employees are considered in ‘good standing’ if they:

  • Have no active or unresolved HR investigations or substantiated misconduct complaints; and
  • Have received satisfactory or higher ratings on their most recent performance evaluations. 

FAQs

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  • Are faculty or management personnel eligible?

    All CSU staff members in good standing are eligible to participate, including state and auxiliary employees. Preference is given to represented employees, though MPP and confidential staff are also eligible.

    For the purposes of this award, employees are considered in ‘good standing’ if they:

    1. Have no active or unresolved HR investigations or substantiated misconduct complaints; and
    2. Have received satisfactory or higher ratings on their most recent performance evaluations.

    While the faculty are not eligible for the Fong & Fetterly Award, The Wang Family Excellence Award remains the Board-level recognition program that is designated primarily for faculty. The current Wang nomination cycle closed on October 30, 2026, and the next call for nominations will be issued for the 2027–28 cycle in Fall 2026.

  • What types of accomplishments or contributions should nominations highlight?
    The four Fong & Fetterly categories were intentionally designed to allow each campus to highlight staff whose work may look different depending on local context. We do, however, recognize the value of additional guidance, and have therefore developed nomination criteria descriptions to support the process.
  • How will campus nominations be reviewed?
    The campus review committee, the President's Administrative Team (PAT), will evaluate all eligible nominations. Each campus is limited to advancing no more than two nominations per award category for final submission to the Chancellor’s Office.
  • Who is responsible for selecting the award recipients?
    A systemwide selection committee appointed by the Chancellor’s Office will review all eligible nominations and recommend award recipients based on the established criteria.
  • When will award recipients be announced?
    Recipients will be announced in Spring 2027 following the committee’s review and approval process.
  • How will awardees be recognized?
    Awardees will be honored in-person at the May 2027 CSU Board of Trustees Meeting at the Office of the Chancellor and campuses may also choose to celebrate recipients locally.
  • Will feedback be provided to campuses on non-selected nominees?
    No. Due to the volume of submissions and confidentiality of the review process, the systemwide selection committee will not provide individual feedback on nominations not selected for the award.