Early Career Award

Nomination Evaluation Criteria

When reviewing nominations, the awards committee will make decisions based on the following preferred and demonstrated attributes:

1. A focused primary research agenda

2. Publication(s) that has the potential to advance the field (measured by quality, not quantity) in rigorous venues

3. Translation of research through conference presentations and practitioner-centered publication(s)

4. Publication of methodology, methodological issue, and/or use of innovative methodology

5. A research record exceptional for their time in the field

This award is reserved for individuals who are no more than six years beyond the receipt of the doctoral degree as of July 1 of the year of the award (e.g., for 2022, a nominee/recipient must have been awarded their doctoral degree after July 1, 2016).

Awards Timeline

• Early May: Awards Nominations Open
• June 30, 2025, 12:00pm Mountain/Denver Time: Awards Nominations close
• July-September: Committee review of nominations
• Late September: Notification to nominators of committee decisions
• Mid-October: Association-wide announcement of recipients
• November: Awards Ceremony during ASHE 2025 Annual Conference

Due to the number of submissions and the review process, no late submissions will be accepted; as such, nominators are encouraged to submit their nominations well in advance of this deadline. 

Nomination Requirements

Each submission will need:

• Name, Title, Position, Institution, Email, and Phone Number of Coordinating Nominator

• Name, Title, Position, Institution, Email, and Phone Number of Nominee

• A nomination statement up to 750 words that demonstrates the nominee's match to the award evaluation criteria. This should not be a nomination or support letter, but a summary of the nominee's qualifications for this specific award.

• 2-3 letters of support. For upload into the nomination form, these should be combined into one document, preferably a pdf.

• The nominee's CV.

Due to the increased number of nominations received in recent years, each nominee will be limited to one nomination. In the event multiple nominations are submitted, the committee chair will notify the coordinating nominators requesting they consolidate their nominations.

The coordinating nominator, as well as the award nominee(s) (and subsequently recipient(s)), must be current members of ASHE.

Questions about the 2024 award process can be sent to awards@ashe.ws.

Nominations for 2024 are now closed

Past Recipients

2023: Antonio Duran & Wilson K. Okello

2022: Adrián H. Huerta (YouTube Link)
2021:Cindy Ann Kilgo (YouTube Link)
2020: Jessica C. Harris (YouTube Link)
2019: Z Nicolazzo (YouTube Link)
2018: Eddie R. Cole (YouTube Link)
2017: Julie R. Posselt
2016: Manuel S. Gonzalez Canche
2015: Liliana M. Garces
2014: Julie J. Park
2013: Kimberly A. Griffin
2012: Nicholas A. Bowman
2011: Samuel D. Museus
2010: Lori Patton Davis
2009: Terrell L. Strayhorn
2008: Shaun R. Harper
2007: Paul D. Umbach
2006: Marybeth Gasman
2005: Brian Pusser
2004: anthony lising antonio
2003: Laura W. Perna
2002: Donald E. Heller
2001: M. Christopher Brown II
2000: Linda Hagedorn & Lisa Wolf-Wendel
1999: Linda J. Sax
1998: Jennifer Grant Haworth
1997: Robert Rhoads
1996: Eric Dey
1995: Sylvia Hurtado & Elizabeth Whitt
1993: Alberto Cabrera & Patricia Gumport
1991: Amaury Nora

Previous ASHE Promising Scholar Award Recipients:

1990: Fran Stage
1989: Ann Austin