A new SLUStar award will recognize a University faculty or staff member for his or her contributions to the community of St. Louis.

The “In Touch with Community” award will be given once a year and is an addition to the existing SLUStar program, which recognizes employees who demonstrate professionalism and do extraordinary work to further the University’s mission as a Jesuit institution.

Different from the other SLUStar awards, the “In Touch with Community” award will honor faculty and staff whose accomplishments have specifically aided the St. Louis community at large.

“The program exists to provide recognition to people in the University who model the Ignatian values,” said Kathy Hagedorn, vice president of Human Resources at Saint Louis University.

“There are people who work among us who are truly role models,” she added.

“The `In Touch’ award was added because we’re finding that so many people are doing great things for the St. Louis community at large,” Hagedorn said.

The recipient of the new award will receive recognition in internal publications and at the annual Feast of St. Louis and will also receive other SLUStar rewards.

The rewards include items such as a day off with pay, Billiken Bucks and tickets to a University event.

Winners of the SLUStar award are chosen by a committee of faculty and staff members throughout different departments of the University.

Nominations for this particular award are due by Aug. 31 and will be announced in the fall issue of the In Touch newsletter.

The newsletter informs key members of the St. Louis community about various aspects of the University’s outreach work.

Anyone is welcome to make a nomination and can do so online at http://www.slu.edu/services/HR/slustarsprgm.htm or by filling out one of the nomination forms located in various locations around Saint Louis University’s Frost Campus, including DuBourg Hall and the Busch Memorial Center.