The Most Valuable Panther (MVP) program recognizes employees who embody the university’s standards for innovation as demonstrated by their passion, dedication, and excellent service.
Florida Tech’s MVP Winner - October 2025
Ed Dunne began his career as a Panther in 2022 at Gleason Performing Arts Center. It did not take long for his commitment to quality to be noticed by his manager and others on campus. His dedication to service is exemplary, whether he is leading the execution of large-scale productions, ensuring the ongoing reliability of technical systems, or providing mentorship and support to colleagues across multiple departments. Ed approaches every challenge with professionalism, patience, and an unwavering commitment to helping others achieve success. His work ethic and generosity reflect the very best of our university’s values.
Ed consistently demonstrates an exceptional commitment to quality that sets the benchmark for our department and the university as a whole. He approaches every responsibility with precision, foresight, and a standard of excellence that elevates the work. His expertise ensures that events at the Performing Arts Center run seamlessly, reflecting a level of professionalism and polish that enhances the university’s reputation. Ed’s dedication to quality extends well beyond technical skill. He takes the time to understand the unique objectives of each project. His proactive problem-solving, combined with a continuous drive for improvement, ensures that no detail is overlooked. The frequent and unsolicited praise he receives from clients, audiences, and colleagues speaks directly to the pride he takes in his work and the extraordinary outcomes he delivers. Through his efforts, Ed transforms every event into an exceptional experience for all involved.
For Ed, going above and beyond is the standard by which he operates. He consistently invests his time, energy, and expertise well beyond the scope of his formal responsibilities to ensure both the success of our events and the satisfaction of those he serves. Whether working late into the night to perfect a production, troubleshooting complex technical challenges under pressure, or mentoring students and colleagues with patience and care, Ed demonstrates an unwavering commitment to excellence. His readiness to step in wherever he is needed, even in areas outside his primary role underscores his selflessness and his deep sense of responsibility to the university community. He recently responded to a plea for help at the newly remodeled Hartley Room. Within minutes he was digging through wires and found the issue. While it was a small thing, no one thought to look as deep as Ed did.
Ed’s approach consistently transforms challenges into opportunities, and his contributions result in memorable, high-quality experiences for our campus and the broader community. This makes Ed our Most Valuable Panther.
MVP Award Benefits
The MVP of any given month wins:
- A designated MVP parking space for the month during normal business hours
- A short write-up recognizing the MVP in the Florida Tech Weekly enewsletter
- Four hours added to the MVP's vacation balance
- A Panther Dining Hall Meal added to the MVP's account
Past MVP Winners
View past MVP Winners on Florida Tech's News website
MVP Award Criteria
A nominee for the MVP award may be a full- or part-time employee and meet these basic requirements in order to be eligible:
- Must have been employed at Florida Tech for no less than one full year
- Cannot have been selected as MVP within the prior 12 months
- Has no documented corrective action on file with HR within the past six months
Any eligible employee may be nominated more than once, however, will only be eligible to win the award once within a twelve (12) month period.
To be considered, a nominee must have demonstrated extraordinary service to the university during the 60 days prior to their nomination. Examples of contributions that may warrant MVP honors include:
- An outstanding accomplishment with significant benefit to the Florida Tech community
- Extraordinary service to colleagues and/or external community members
- Demonstrating exceptional leadership and/or initiative
- Exemplary efforts to nurture a climate of care, concern and civility
- Creative innovations to service, process, or work tools
- Exhibiting and modeling a relentlessly positive attitude toward work responsibilities, co-workers and customers
- Extraordinary commitment to quality
- Taking initiative and embracing responsibilities beyond regular job assignments
MVP Award Nomination Procedure
Nominations may be made by anyone with an active affiliation with the university (i.e. staff, faculty, administrator, student worker). The nominator does not have to be the nominee's supervisor or superior; however, the nominator must have direct knowledge of the employee’s contributions.
- Complete the MVP nomination form
- Submit to MVP nominating committee by the 15th day of the month
MVP Selection Committee and Process
The vice president of human resources makes the initial appointment of MVP Committee members.
- The MVP reviews nominations and selects a monthly winner based on the aforementioned criteria. (If a committee member is nominated, they will be excused from voting that month.)
- Nominees are evaluated using a point system, and the highest scoring nominee wins. In the case of a tie, one name from among the highest scorers will be drawn at random to determine a winner.
- The MVP Committee has the right to verify nomination materials with the nominee’s supervisor.
- Nominees who do not receive the award for the month in which they have been nominated do not remain in the nomination pool, but they may be nominated again for reconsideration.