Purdue announces Bravo+ employee recognition program

A globally recognized leader in talents and innovation, Purdue is underscoring its commitment to investing in exemplary faculty and staff by unveiling Bravo+, an enhanced employee recognition program that rewards employees whose work propels the university forward.

Derived from the Bravo Awards program established in 2013, Bravo+ honors the excellence found across all university areas and job functions by recognizing extraordinary employee achievements at every scale.

Purdue trustees announced in April that the faculty and staff salary policy for fiscal year 2024 will include a 4% recurring increase for the second consecutive year, along with the 1% one-time recognition, reward and retention pool. The back-to-back 4% recurring average salary increases for faculty and staff are a first for Purdue this century, reflecting continuity through the presidential transition. Bravo+ is the first of several programs that will use the 1% one-time recognition, reward and retention pool.   

Bravo+ includes:

• An award limit of $2,000 – an increase from the previous $1,000 limit. Deans and vice presidents may approve higher amounts under exceptional circumstances with support from Human Resources or the Office of the President.
• A limit of four awards per employee each fiscal year – an increase from the previous limit of two.

“Purdue has built a first-class team of talent from within and outside of higher education by investing in our people as part of our efforts to recruit, retain and reward the talents of our incredible faculty and staff,” said Chris Ruhl, Purdue executive vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer.

“By establishing innovative performance-based incentives such as Bravo+ and providing the largest faculty and staff salary increases in more than two decades in recent years, we continue to place a priority on the essential role that our hard-working employees play in advancing this university’s land-grant mission in its pursuit of excellence at scale.”

Employees who have completed three months of service are eligible for Bravo+ with some exceptions.

In fiscal year 2022, Purdue invested more than $600,000 in Bravo Awards – a number the university plans to double with Bravo+ in fiscal year 2023. Purdue has offered merit increases every year since 2010, with the exception of 2020, when the university was forced to pause a 3% merit pool for faculty and staff because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purdue, however, granted a one-time “appreciation award” of $750 later that year for over 15,000 employees, particularly aimed at lower-wage employees. And with its enrollment still rising during the pandemic, Purdue in 2021 provided an appreciation award of $500 for full-time and a prorated amount for part-time employees.

Part of the 1% pool will also be used to implement an administrative supplemental program for hourly staff to compensate for temporary increases in responsibilities. Additional details about the new program will be shared in the coming months.   

For more information about Bravo+, visit the website or contact bravo@purdue.edu.