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• 35 Anniversary
  

NASPA Melvene D. Hardee
Dissertation of the Year Award 

35th Anniversary

The dissertation is an important marker in the career of any PhD student. It is both an end and a beginning: the end of an apprenticeship and an induction into the field as a peer. For the past 34 years, NASPA has recognized this intellectual and professional rebirth with the NASPA Melvene D. Hardee Dissertation-of-the-Year Award. In preparation for the 35th year of the NASPA Hardee Dissertation-of-the-Year Award in 2012, the NASPA Forum will have a series of articles celebrating the achievements of past honorees. In the next 11 months, previous NASPA Hardee winners will reflect on their receipt of the award, career path, and student affairs as it pertains to their professional role. Read Full Story

More from the 35 Years of the NASPA Hardee Dissertation-of-the-Year Award series:

Receiving the 2004 NASPA Melvene D. Hardee Dissertation of the Year Award is one of two pivotal experiences that solidified my commitment to a faculty career—thus, it changed my life. Read Full Story

Shaun R. Harper is on the faculty in the Graduate School of Education, Africana Studies, and Gender Studies at University of Pennsylvania. He formerly served as director of research on the NASPA Board of Directors. His nine books include Creating Inclusive Campus Environments for Cross-Cultural Learning and Student Engagement (NASPA, 2008).

As the fifth recipient (1982) of what was then simply called the Dissertation of the Year Award (DOTY), I am pleased to share some reflections on both my dissertation and the impact the award had on my career. Read Full Story

Elizabeth Nuss is a former executive director of NASPA and retired vice president of Goucher College. 

Simone Himbeault Taylor

Integration matters. It informed my dissertation, interweaving cognitive, psycho-social, and sociological theories to explain development of tolerance for diversity. Today, it informs my inquiry about how students learn and how educators facilitate growth. Read Full Story

Simone Himbeault Taylor is associate vice president for student affairs at the University of Michigan. She also serves as adjunct assistant professor at the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at U of M. Her degrees in botany, counseling, and higher education were all awarded from the U of M. She co-leads the Michigan integrative learning initiative, MPortfolio. She has published, presented, and consulted on strategic planning, change management, issues of student learning and development, and integrative learning.

Stephen John Quaye

Given what you know now about the field and your career, what are your thoughts reflecting back on your dissertation and doctoral student experience?

My dissertation focused on how faculty members facilitate racial dialogues in their courses. I am currently an assistant professor in the College Student Personnel Program at the University of Maryland. I teach a "Race, Class, and Gender in Higher Education" course where I specifically try to facilitate these dialogues in my own courses. Read Full Story

Stephen John Quaye is an assistant professor in the College Student Personnel Program at the University of Maryland. He is the recipient of the 2009 NASPA Melvene D. Hardee Dissertation of the Year Award for his dissertation on how faculty members facilitate dialogues about racial issues in their courses. In addition, he is a 2009 ACPA Emerging Scholar. His research concentrates on the influence of race relations on college and university campuses, specifically the gains and outcomes associated with inclusive racial climates, cross-racial interactions, and racially-conscious pedagogical approaches.

Mary Desler

It was 24 years ago, but I still remember the 1987 NASPA Awards Luncheon at the Marriott Hotel in Chicago. I was most honored to receive the Melvene D. Hardee Dissertation of the Year Award. As I reflect on that experience—writing a dissertation, earning a Ph.D. from Michigan State University—three things stand out. First, what a powerful learning experience it was. Secondly, I am aware of the impact that multiple allies can have on one's career. And third, I am thankful for the role NASPA has played in my professional life over the years. Read Full Story

Mary Desler is a retired associate vice president for student affairs/dean of students from Northwestern University where she currently works part-time as a senior assessment analyst.

Kathe Taylor

It seems a lifetime ago that I wrote the dissertation that won the Melvene D. Hardee Award. Reviewing it from the vantage point of almost 20 years later, I found that the passions that stirred me then are still very much part of who I am personally and professionally. More important, the "dilemma of difference" is still very much alive. The challenge of helping students develop an understanding and appreciation for the legitimacy of multiple perspectives is as pressing in 2011 as it was in 1992, as educators seek to build communities on campuses that grow more diverse every year. Read Full Story

Kathe Taylor is currently interim executive director of the Washington State Board of Education. She has served as the board's policy director since 2007. She has worked in public K-12 and higher education for 30 years in teaching, administration, and K-12 and higher education state policy. She is co-author of the book, Children at the Center: A Workshop Approach to Standardized Test Preparation. In her spare time she plays Irish and old-time fiddle and mediates for the county dispute resolution center.