EPICC Awards

The Cornell Engineering EPICC Awards were established in 2022 to recognize faculty and staff who exemplify our Core Values.

While this program is new, the values it celebrates are embedded in our culture and have long been embodied by our staff and faculty. These awards provide an opportunity to publicly recognize the people who – often behind the scenes – do meaningful work that inspires others and exemplifies Cornell Engineering at its best.

Our Core Values

Excellence

We aim for excellence in everything we do. We produce distinctive results of exceptional quality by approaching our work with rigor, integrity, and the highest ethical standards.

Purpose

We strive to make a meaningful impact by leading, supporting, and actively participating in research, education, and outreach that contributes to a healthier, more equitable, and more sustainable world.

Innovation

We empower teams and individuals to defy expectations by prizing creativity, agility, and responsible risk taking.

Community

We foster and sustain a diverse, engaged, and caring environment where all members feel like they belong, are heard, and can flourish. We communicate across differences with respect, and we embrace personal and professional growth and development.

Collaboration

We encourage and reward inclusive teamwork, in the conviction that solving grand challenges requires a range of perspectives and a collective effort greater than the sum of its parts.

About the EPICC Awards

Each year, Cornell Engineering aims to bestow awards to individuals or teams – typically, one to faculty and one to staff – in each of the five value categories. For the Collaboration award, there may be an additional award given specifically for faculty/staff collaboration.

Awardees will receive $2,500 per award for individuals, or $1,000 per person for group/teams of 3 or more people.

Awards will be announced in a community-wide event for all faculty and staff. For 2022-23, this event will be held at the beginning of the Fall Semester.

Previous EPICC Awards winners

Application Process

Eligibility

• Nominees can come from any category of benefits-eligible faculty or staff.
• Whether being nominated individually or as a team, all nominees must have been with Cornell Engineering for at least one year.
• Winners will be ineligible to win in the same category for 3 years. They will be eligible to win in other categories.
• Selection committee members are ineligible to win in any category.
• For 2022-23, the Associate Deans will serve as the selection committee. Subsequently, a committee of community members will be formed each year to serve in this capacity.

Nomination Process

• The deadline to submit nominations for the 2022-23 awards is July 15, 2022.
• We encourage nominations that cross units and faculty/staff categories.
• Nominations may be made for one or more categories with a single submission.
• Nominators must submit a written statement of no more than 5,000 characters, with specific examples of how the nominee(s):
  • Exemplifies each of the values for which they are being nominated;
  • Positively impacts others in the community by exemplifying this/these value(s);
  • Demonstrates a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and belonging; and/or
  • Embodies the skills listed in Cornell’s Skills for Success (for individual contributors) or Leadership Skills for Success (for people managers) in a manner that represents the value(s) for which they are being nominated.
• Nominations may be made by individuals or groups. For group nominations, please add additional nominator names and NetIDs to the submission form.
• Self-nominations are welcome. If you would like to nominate yourself, please provide the names and NetIDs of 2-3 individuals who can support your application.
• Supporting materials are welcome but not required.