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Awards

Each year, NASPA honors prominent higher education and student affairs leaders, programs, and initiatives for contributions and impact on the field. NASPA members are encouraged to nominate outstanding colleagues and stellar programs at the international, national, and regional levels for consideration as an award recipient in a NASPA award program. 

Annual, Regional, & Division Awards

Nominations for annual national, regional and division awards are entirely online. A complete listing of national award categories, as well as the online nomination form, are accessible in the NASPA Annual and Regional Awards section. Any NASPA member may nominate an individual for national NASPA awards. Please complete the online nomination process for each nominee. The deadline to submit a nomination for a national award is November 1, 2011.

The seven NASPA regions annually recognize individuals within their respective territory. For information on NASPA regional awards, please visit your  regional webpage. Individuals making nominations are encouraged to view past award recipients to ensure the individual they would like to nominate is not a previous recipient of a particular award. Previous award recipients are ineligible to receive the same award more than once.  

The NASPA Community College Division presents national and regional awards to individuals who have demonstrated leadership and a commitment to the association and/or the profession. The deadline to submit a nomination for the national Community College Professional Award is November 1. Deadlines for the regional Community College Professional Award vary by region. Please check your respective region's website.

Excellence Awards 

NASPA Excellence Awards recognize the contributions of members who are transforming higher education through outstanding programs, innovative services, and effective administration. Sharing our successes benefits students, improves institutions, and promotes our profession. All NASPA members are encouraged to enter recently developed and/or longstanding programs and initiatives for consideration for NASPA Excellence Awards.

Programs selected for recognition receive one of three award designations: Gold, Silver, or Bronze. These three levels of recognition are awarded in each of the categories. Gold recipients from each category are further judged for the designations of Grand Gold, Grand Silver, and Grand Bronze. Visit the Excellence Awards page for information on all award categories.

Melvene D. Hardee
Dissertation of the Year Award 

The purpose of the Melvene D. Hardee Dissertation of the Year Awards is to encourage high quality research relevant to the field of college student services administration and the general field of student affairs, and to recognize outstanding dissertation research conducted by doctoral degree recipients presently in or intending to enter the student affairs profession. For more information and application materials visit the Hardee Award webpage. Completed application materials must be received by the NASPA office by September 15, 2011.

Ruth Strang Research Award 

The Ruth Strang Research Award is sponsored by the NASPA Center for Scholarship, Research, and Professional Development for Women (Center for Women) to recognize individuals for outstanding contributions to the body of literature concerning women in higher education. This award encourages high-quality research related to women in higher education and seeks to promote research by, for, and about women. Submissions may be unpublished articles, academic papers, or portfolios that show strong scholarship and address topics relevant to the education of women and their personal and professional development. To review criteria and submission information, please visit the Center for Women website.